The Warming of a Painted Heart
by Carmen Veiga
Summary: It's been a few months after Pitch was defeated. Jack and Bunnymund have been getting along very well. Maybe a little TOO well. Not far away, a dark being rises from the shadows. FEM!Jack. First two chapters are short and intros. BunnymundXJack/ BunnyFrost/JackRabbit
1. Chapter 1:Frost Princess

**Chapter One:**

**Frost Princess  
**

_**All I can remember...is that I was afraid.**_

_The girl floated deep in her silent prison of the frozen pond. Her skin was pale as fresh snow while long spiky white hair tinged with silver fanned out around her like halo. Her clothing consisted of a long brown cloak, a yellow top covered with a boy's brown vest and a pair of brown pants. Her eyes were closed and her body was limp. She looked peaceful. She was beautiful. She looked as though she was sleeping instead of a body whos soul had been claimed by the clutches of death._

**_Then...the moon came out...and I wasn't afraid anymore._**

_Suddenly, the full moon's glow flooded through the ice and washed the watery grave in a bright, mysterious light. The girl's eyes slowly opened. They were as deep blue as the purist sapphire._

_Next thing she knew, her whole body had broken through the ice's frozen surface. Lungs gulped in large amounts of frozen winter air and coughed as the air painfully but slowly restored them to their full potential._

_It was at that moment when she felt only air beneath her bare feet. The girl was **floating. **Only about three feet off the ground but **floating** none the less._

_As soon as her feet were back on the ice, she caught something at the corner of her eye. Turning around, she saw that it was a long staff made out of wood with a curved head. She bent down and picked it up running her fingers over the smooth bark. To her amazement, it started quickly glowing in a blue glow. Sparks exploded from the bottom and she shielded her face with her arm. Her eyes widened in surprise as new frost spread over the frozen ice. She looked to the staff then to the ice again. A smile came over her face. Walking onto the snow covered bank she tapped a tree trunk with the staff. Frost started covering it almost like magic._

_The girl let out a happy laugh. She spent the next few minutes running and flying over the pond, dragging the staff behind her and turning the forest around it into a winter wonderland instantly. She stopped her joyful cavorting for the time being and looked around in wonder at the magical world she had created._

_She looked up at the sky, noticing for the first time how bright the full winter moon was._

**_My name is Jaquelin Frost. I know because... the moon told me_**


	2. Chapter 2:Pain in a Bunny's Backside

**Chapter Two:**

**Pain in a Bunny's Backside**

_Bunnymund sat on top of the house's roof twirling one of his boomerangs in his paw. **"Why did North choose me to pick up the stupid girl?" **he thought angrily, tossing the boomerang as hard as he could upwards and catching it right afterward. The pooka had been in a bad mood ever since the Man in the Moon had told them who the next guardian would be; and she just happend to be the bane of his existance._

_Jack Frost. The spirit who brought Winter all over the world. The girl who so many young male spirits lusted after. And most of all...the spirit who loved to be a pain in his ass. He couldn't count how many times she pourposly brought snowstorms on Easter, or a few days before, just to screw with his his egg hunts._

_The pooka ran his nails over his boomerang and lost himself in his thoughts. To be honest, he had never actually seen the Winter spirit before. He did, however, know that apparently she was very beautiful. He had heard some young male spirits talking about her at a party North had thrown a few weeks before. The lustful looks in their eyes and the tents in their pants only proved more that Jack was wanted by many people. Which of course led to rumors. Nasty rumors of how the young frost maiden tempted men into bed only to have them wake to an empty space the next morning. Bunnymund being the wiser never paid any attention to this gossip, but it made him curious. Was this girl as pretty as everyone made her sound?_

_He looked up at the night sky. He smiled when he noticed golden sand starting to fly through the air entering peoples houses. Sandy was getting to work. He was brought out of his thoughts when his ear twitched and picked up on something. **"Right on time, Sandman."**_

_The pooka looked in front of him to see Jack standing on telephone wires a few feet away from him. Luckily he was hidden in the shadows so the Winter spirit hadn't seen him. The hood of her blue swearshirt was covering her head and she was staring up in childish wonder at the dreams being formed in the dreamsand. At first Bunnymund didn't see what all the fuss was about her. Then she took off her hood and his eyes widened slightly in shock._

_Jack's hair tumbled halfway down her back long and spiky. The locks were white as fresh pure snow that was tinged silver when the moon caught it. Her heart shaped face was pale with huge, deep saphire eyes. She wore a blue hoodie with frost patterns on it, brown pants and shoeless feet, her wooden staff held in her hand. She held her hand up and ran it through a dream dolphin laughing when the sand spilled to the sides of the creature like a wave._

_The elder guardian then realized that he was staring. Shaking his head he watched as Jack floated down from the telephone wires and started walking down the street, staff resting on her shoulder and creating frost with every step. He decided now was a good time to get her. Quietly jumping down from the roof he raced behind the Winter spirit, causing her to turn around with a confused look in her eyes. She flew up in a tree and landed on a branch trying to figure out what that was. Bunnymund ran by the trunk which made her follow him into a dark alley._

_Leaning his back against the wall in the shadows, the pooka watched as Jack landed in the alley and walked forward with her back to him and her staff ready._

**_"'Ello, mate."_**

_She whirled around with a gasp and surprise in her eyes. Bunnymund twirled his boomerang and spoke, **"Been a long time. Blizzard of '68 I believe," **he then stepped out of the shadows pointing at her with his boomerang. **"**_**Easter Sunday, _wasn't it?"_**

**_"Bunny!" _**_Jack smiled and laughed. This only pissed the pooka off more. She leaned on her staff and with a tone that almost sounded like she was **flirting **with him she replied, **"You're not still mad about **_**that, _are you?"_**

**"Yes,"** _he replied with a scowl and an flip of his boomerang. He then turned his eyes to his weapon and ran his nails over it, **"but this is about somethin' else. Fellas?"**_

_Jack's confused expression turned immidietly to surprise then anger as two yetis came out of nowhere and one of them grabbed her. Before she could scream for help he shoved her into a red sack. The other yeti took out a snowglobe, shook it, and threw it causing a magic portal to the North Pole. He then turned to Bunnymund and told him in jibberish that he could go first._

**_"Thanks mate, but I'll go my way. See you back at the Pole." _**_with that he tapped the ground twice with his big foot making a large rabbit hole appear. He disapeared down it as the yetis shrugged and threw Jack through the portal._

**Post notes- OMG, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE REVIED THIS STORY! I've had this idea ever since I saw Rise of the Guardians, which to any of you who hasn't seen it yet GO SEE IT NOW!. Review and I'll see you in chapter three, which is going to be longer than these two chapters.**


	3. Chapter 3:Aster?

**Chapter Three:**

**Aster?**

It had been a few months after they had defeated Pitch. Jack had been properly sworn into the Guardians, her poor attitude toward joining them doing a complete 180. Now, The Big _Five _were busy at work fixing the damage the Nightmare King had done. Luckily for them Christmas came and went without a problem. Tooth and her fairies were collecting teeth like clockwork, and Sandy's dream-making was running smoothly like always. The lights on the globe at North's place seemed to quickly light up by the thousands as each day went by.

Jack was having a grand old time with her new Winter rounds. Each day the Guardian of Fun would head out to bring snow days and early blizzards to the children all over the world. Sure she was still a teenager mentally and physically, but her new position as guardian seemed to bring about a new maturity in her.

All of the guardians duties were going smoothly. Everyone except Bunnymund.

Ever since Pitch had been beaten, the pooka had been working his ass off early for next year's Easter preparations. However, as the other guardians grew stronger with the children starting to believe in them again, he grew weaker and tended to pass out from time to time. He only had next Easter to renew the children's belief in him.

January had fallen over the world. North had called the four other guardians to his workshop. Many of the yetis had fallen ill meaning he was short-handed and needed help to work on next year's Christmas load. Bunnymund was attempting at build a rocking horse while at the same time trying to fight off a nasty headache. They had been coming more frequent lately, which then led to more black outs. He hadn't told anyone of his fainting spells, because in his mind they would go overboard with worry. And he still had 50,000 more eggs, baskets, and other gifts to get ready for Easter.

To add more pain to his throbbing headache, Jack burst into the workshop covered in a light dusting of snow and bright eyes sparkling with bubbliness. She then started babbling away to Tooth, Sandy, North, and anyone who would listen to just about everything that had happened on her Winter rounds, especially the huge snowball fight with Jamie and the other Burgesse kids. The elder guardians enjoyed listening to Jack whenever she had news or stories. Even Bunnymund, who at the beginning never thought that they would ever get along, had to admit he didn't mind the spirit's chatter. But today it was making his head hurt even more.

"Kangaroo!"

The pooka nearly growled as the nickname he detested reached his enlarged eardrums. He turned his head to see Jack standing behind him with a large smile.

"I'm a bunny. _Not_ a damn kangaroo, mate." he growled before turning back to continue work on his failed wooden toy.

"Are you making a rocking horse?" she asked. She walked up next to him, her long hair brushing the side of the rabbit's arm. Bunnymund felt himself blush slightly as a waft of fresh pine and snow met his sharp nose.

"Well, attemptin' to at least," he admitted sheepishly mentally telling his face to stop blushing at the same time.

Jack picked up a few tools the pooka had been using and inspected his work with a careful eye. "Ah, there's the problem. You put a few of these pieces in the wrong spot." Carefully she removed said pieces and used the tools to fit them into their proper places. Bunnymund looked at the toy horse in front of him, jaw hanging open slightly. "How in the bloody hell did you do that?"

The spirit shrugged. "North's been teaching me a few things about toy making for the past month." She then started tinkering with small scraps of metal into what looked like a little windup robot.

Bunnymund inspected the rocking horse amazed at how much skill the young spirit had just shown. _"Not too shabby." _he thought. He was about to pick up the toy and go bring it to one of the yetis, when his vision started swimming slightly. His paw clutched his forehead and he squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of pain came over him.

"Hey, are you ok?"

His eyes snapped open when he realized Jack was talking to him. He was even more surprised when he realized she had moved slightly closer to him. His face flared up pink once again when he saw worry swimming in her blue eyes. God dammit why did she have to have such pretty eyes?

"F-fine...I'm just fine."

Then the spirit did something that the Guardian of Hope didn't see coming. She floated a little off the ground and placed her cold lips gently to his forehead. His body froze and his face went from pink to tomato red in about three seconds.

It seemed like forever before Jack pulled away. "You feel a little warm. Are you sure you're not coming down with a fever or anything?"

Bunnymund's mind sighed a huge breath of relief. She was just checking his temperature, not kissing his forehead. He nodded his head, not trusting his voice to speak. Jack gave him a little smile before placing her bare feet back down on the floor and getting back to her robot.

After giving the rocking horse to one of the yetis, the pooka returned to his station and Jack. She had made about ten little windup robots if the five seconds he had been gone. _"She's almost as good as North" _he thought to himself.

The two guardians continued to work together into the afternoon. Unfortunately, the longer he worked, the worse Bunnymund's headache got. He managed to hide it from Jack and the others, though it pained him to do it so. The Winter spirit frequently asked him if he was okay or if he needed anything, which he always responded no. Before they knew it, day had become night and North stopped production for the day. As a thank you to the others for their help, North gave them rooms to stay in for the night. They all dined together before going on their separate ways to their bedrooms.

Bunnymund stumbled down the hallway to his room, clutching his head and moaning softly in pain. He now regretted not asking for any pain medicine. He felt like he was literally going to pass out at any given moment. He leaned against the wall for a moment trying to catch his breath.

"Bunny?"

The pooka nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around quickly to see Jack standing there. She was wearing a long sleeved blue nightshirt and gray sweatpants. Her white hair was in a fishtail braid down her back. Bunnymund was thankful for the darkness. He could swear he felt his face grow red,

"What is it, Jack?"

"There's something wrong with you. You look like you're in pain."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Bunnymund..."

He turned his head away from her. He hated being caught in this weakened state.

The Winter spirit slowly reached her hand out and gently placed her fingertips on the pooka's arm. He visibly flinched from her cold skin before turning his head back to her.

"Bunnymund, you can tell me what's wrong. We're friends, arn't we?"

The pooka was about to respond, but then he felt his head swim. He heard his name once before his vision went black...

* * *

_**"Bunnymund... Bunnymund... ASTER, WAKE UP!"**_

Bunnymund's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, breathing hard. He was still in the middle of the hallway. It hadn't seem like time didn't move forward at all. But...that name...who said that name...?

He turned his head to Jack. She had a scared look in her eyes. "Are you okay? You just dropped to the ground! I thought you had a heart attack or some-"

"What did you say?"

The Winter spirit looked up. Bunnymund wasn't looking at her. But his voice was low when he repeated,_ "What did you say before I woke up?"_

Sensing she was treading on dangerous waters, she replied "Uhm...Aster?"

Silence filled the hallway. The pooka still wouldn't look at her. "Where did you hear that?"

She hesitated before speaking in a soft voice. "...North told me... did I do something wrong?" He still didn't look at her. She reached her hand out. "Ast-"

He caught her hand and held it in a tight grip. She winced as he finally looked at her. His green eyes were filled with so much anger that it made her want to hide in a hole. In a deep, angry voice he said, "Don't you ever, and I mean _ever, _call me that again. And I'm not you're friend. You're just a stupid, foolish girl who gets a kick out of throwing snowballs and fucking with people's business. _Got it!?" _

Before she could say anything he released her hand, stood up, and stomped off to his room. He slammed the door leaving a frightened Winter spirit by herself out in the hallway.

**Post notes- Ooooooooooo, shit just got real. Sorry Jack fans if I was too mean. I didn't mean to *puppy eyes*. So...what's got the kangaroo all riled up? Oh, and to anyone who doesn't know, Bunny's full real name is E. Aster Bunnymund. Well, review and I'll see ya in Chapter four.**

**P.S. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS SO FAR! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME!**


	4. Chapter 4:Darkness and Awkwardness

**Chapter Four:**

**Darkness**

**and **

**Awkwardness**

The lair looked like it had been abandoned for centuries even though it had been only a few months. Stone was crumbling down everywhere. Empty cages lay at the base of the large chasm. Their past was littered with the suffering of the small innocents imprisoned for the soul purpose to aid in the dark goal. Now all that laid in their future was nothing but cold and unending uselessness, doomed to rust, untouched forever. No sounds pervade the large cave, signifying the lack of even a mouse, for the acoustics of the large cavern would have exposed the insignificant sound of a simple pin falling against the unforgiving stone slabs. However, the silence became soon broken, like glass being crushed by a large boulder. The sound of shoes tapping against the cold ground rang through the forgotten lair like recurring nightmare.

The shallow and dying light of the room, that being all that was left to show it as it was, was suddenly blocked by a single figure whose shadow grew increasingly bigger as it moved forward into the dark cavern of despair. The figure slowly moved forward, passing old pieces of Sanskrit that lay tossed about on the floor, each containing intricate plans and procedures, and all of which had failed their creator.

The figure took his time as he scanned the dark and cold stone mineral by mineral as he walked by, etching every image with detail into his mind. With a movement like flowing liquid, he outstretched his arm and brought the tips of his thin bony fingers to the stone wall and proceeded to keep moving forward. As he continued along his path, the area that his fingers had touched soon became a sickening green and proceeded to corrode and fall apart in a matter of mere seconds. The man casually turned his head to look behind him and saw the crumbling wall, the image brought a dark and eerie smirk to his thin lips.

He moved ever-forward along his path until he had reached a dark globe that lay, like the cages, withered and barely clinging to existence on the ground. The only thing that could make it even seem like a globe was that the only iron that formed it was separated into pieces representing the seven continents. Usually, one would have dozens of lights sprinkled throughout it, however, this globe had lost any and all connection to the outside world and the young children who inhabit it.

"Oh my dear Pitch," the figure said as his index finger slowly drew up a dab of dust from the globe "defeat has gone so far as to affect your cleaning skills. _Tttt._ I always knew you were a horrible housekeeper."

The figure walked toward the edge of the high rock he occupied himself on. He looked down below at the cache of empty cases, tools, plans, and other fragile objects, and only saw twisted and sick ideas that could complement every square inch of the ground below him. His smile grew wild and his fists slowly tightened.

"Guardians, your death has already begun."

* * *

It had been two days after Bunnymund snapped on Jack in the hallway, and he was starting to feel incredibly guilty. The Winter spirit had been avoiding him like the plague. It seemed like she was out on her rounds longer than usual, and whenever North needed someone to go with him on traveling errands, Jack was always the first to volunteer every time. At first the pooka suspected that she wanted to spend more time with North, since she saw the jolly toy-maker as a father, but he soon came to realize that that wasn't the case.

Whenever he would enter a room or walk by her, Jack would say she had to help North out with something and leave or would immediately avoid looking him in the eye. Bunnymund had shrugged when Tooth, being the maternal mother figure that she was to all the guardians, had asked him if he knew if anything was wrong with Jack. He honestly didn't know what was up until one day when he was walking down one of North's many hallways to Central Command. He was painting an egg, which of course meant he wasn't watching where he was going. Next thing he knew something flew by him making him almost lose his balance. He whirled around to yell at whoever that was to watch where they were going, but stopped when he saw Jack floating there looking like a little kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. The Winter spirit apologized three times while avoiding his eyes before racing back down the hallway before the pooka could even utter a syllable.

The others seemed to pick up on the awkwardness between the two, but they never really approached and asked them about it. It was North who finally did.

The pooka was relaxing by the color dye river in his Warren. He had finally taken Tooth's advice about giving himself some breaks between work so he wouldn't black out. He was grateful for the rests. The headaches had passed and he could feel himself getting stronger. However, just as he closed his eyes, something cold hit him in the face.

"_BLOODY HELL!" _an enraged Bunnymund lept to his feet, boomerangs in paws, and ready to fight. He relaxed slightly when he saw a small snow mound slowly melting at his feet. A pristine, ivory letter appeared from it. On the crease was North's seal.

This was odd of the fat man. He would always call the guardians by using the Northern Lights **(1)**, almost never by letter. Shrugging, the pooka bent down, picked up the letter, and opened it. Inside there was a note that said:

**_Bunny,_**

**_Meet me at the Pole ASAP. There's something we need to discuss._**

**_-North_**

"What the bloody hell does he need to talk to me about?" Bunnymund shook his head, deciding it was not worth questioning it. With a quick glance around to check that his egglets weren't going to be assaulted any time soon, he summoned a rabbit hole and made his way to the workshop.

The second he got there, one of the yetis showed him to North's study. As he closed the door behind him, the pooka saw the toymaker standing at his large window behind his desk. North had his back to him and was busy looking at something small in his hand. After a few moments he pocketed it and turned to the Guardian of Hope.

"Bunny. Please, sit." he said before settling in his own chair. No jolly greeting or pat on the back? This must have been serious.

The pooka sat down in the chair adjacent from the toy-maker's desk before speaking "What's up, North?"

"I was thinking maybe you could answer zat."

A few minutes of silence filled the study. Finally, Bunnymund shrugged. "I got nuthin' for ya mate."

"It's Jack. Zer's something going on with her and I don't know vat. Tooth and I have asked her about it, but she insists zat iz nothing. Since you and her have been getting along vell these past couple of months, I vas hoping that she might have told you something."

A cold feeling filled the pit of the pooka's stomach. He had been dreading this. Sighing, he answered, "Well, I kinda snapped on her a few nights ago..."

The energy in the room seemed to change dramatically. The tension was thick as molasses. Bunnymund could have sworn he could see an angry red aura eminating from North. "Vat did she, an _innocent, __charming _young girl, do to upset you so much?" North was highly protective of the Winter spirit, even more than Tooth. He thought everything Jack did was innocent and good natured...well, most of the time. He was like a loving father looking out for any evil being that would dare harm a hair on his "daughter's" head.

After a few hesitant moments of silence, the pooka looked down at the ground and mumbled, "...She called me Aster..."

The angry look in North's eyes had softened slightly. "Bunny, you have to let zat go."

The last of his words hadn't even left his mouth before Bunnymund sprang up from his chair with a fuming expression. "Don't you _dare _give me that!"

"Bunny-"

"Do ya know what it's like to see your whole clan, your own _family, _to be slaughtered in front of you, and you couldn't even help 'em?! To just stand there helplessly..." the hare's voice grew quiet and his angry eyes slowly filled with tears. He turned away so North couldn't see.

The toy-maker got up from his desk and brought his friend to his chest hugging him. Bunnymund didn't hug back but silently cried in the embrace.

"You're right. I have no idea what iz like to lose your family, and I'm very sorry. But zer's one thing you must understand, Bunny. Jack vaz worried sick about you when you passed out. She cares about her friends very much, even if she doesn't say it zat much. She has no clue zat that happened to you."

"My mum called me Aster. They all did." the hare said softly.

"I know. But try to see what happened from Jack's point of view. It vaz an honest mistake. She knows now not to call you zat. The best you can do now iz apologize. I'm positive she'll forgive you."

* * *

Bunnymund arrived back at the Warren ten minutes later. He would apologize to Jack. Like North said, it wasn't her fault she didn't know what happened. However, when he stepped out of the rabbit hole and back into his grassy meadows, he was met with a shock. Jack stood a few feet away from him. Her face and clothes were covered with what looked like the color smoke from the paint flowers that he used to decorate eggs. Around her feet the egglets he had been working on that day were running around...but now they were all multicolored.

"What did-" before he could even ask, the Winter spirit interrupted him.

"I'm so sorry, Bunny! I-I came here to apologize for the other night. But, then those big stone egg things with the faces got made that I was here and started chasing me. Then I kind of flew through the paint flowers and then your egglets started following me and-...I'm sorry! Please don't be mad!"

"Kid, I'm not-" the pooka stopped when he noticed sapphire eyes brimming with tears. "Jack?"

"Shit!" the ice spirit quickly wiped away her tears but more kept coming. A soft snowfall started, covering the Warren in a white blanket.

"Damn it! I always make a mess of everything!" with tears flowing down, Jack disappeared from the meadows, leaving Bunnymund standing there in the snow with a shocked expression on his face. Shaking his head to clear it, he tapped his foot before going back down through the tunnels. The egglets could wait. He needed to see if Jack was alright.

**Post notes-**

**(1) I'm pretty sure they were called the Northern Lights in the movie, but I can't exactly remember.**

**Sorry if Bunny was a little OOC in this chapter. Please don't kill me. And sorry if I ruined the spelling too much for North's accent. I wanted it too sound like it as much as possible.**

**I hope to all who celebrate Christmas had a merry one the other day! For video games I got Red Dead Redemption (Game of the Year addition) and RISE OF THE GUARDIANS FROM NIGHTHUNTER *fangirl squee*. To all of the other people who celebrate Kwanzaa and Hannakah I wish you happy holidays to those too :D.**

** *flops down on couch* I'm so sorry this took so long! School's been a bitch winding down to Christmas vacation, not to mention me and Nighthunter (my boyfriend/editor) both have part-time jobs. Any who, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN REVIEWING/AND/OR FAVORITING THIS STORY! It makes me so happy! Oooo, who was that mysterious man in Pitch's old lair? Mwhahahahah! See you next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5:Memories and Making Up

**Chapter Five:**

**Memories**

**and**

**Making Up**

_"Take that back dingo ass!"_

_"Never, ya stupid bloke!"_

_The next few minutes were filled up by the two young rabbits wrestling on the ground, both trying to get a good kick or punch on the other. The smaller of the two was trying hard but failing to get the upper hand on his opponent, and was currently being pinned to the dusty ground. His pelt was a blue-gray color with dark gray tattoo markings on his arms, legs, and forehead. His eyes were a sharp emerald green that were currently glaring daggers at the bigger pooka above him as he thrashed around, trying to get free. The captor smirked down at her prisoner and kept her grip tight. She was around the same age as her playmate, but slightly bigger. Her fur was a beautiful cream color with light brown patches dappled throughout it. Her eyes were aqua blue that sparkled with mischief._

_The two pookas continued their bantering until they were pulled apart by the gray bunny's father, and he didn't look happy._

_"**E. Aster Bunnymund**! What is the meanin' of this behavior!" the older pooka exclaimed. _

_Bunnymund glared and pointed at the other rabbit. "Bellezza was making fun o' me again!"_

_"I was not!" the female squeaked indignantly, "I was only sayin' the truth!"_

_"You said tha' I looked funny when I get scared!"_

_"That's 'cause you turn into a tiny bunny ya galah!"_

_Bunnymund's eyes burned with rage. He flattend his ears against his head and looked to the ground when he recieved a warning look from his father._

_"Bellezza, you know it's not nice to tease your friends."_

_"But, I wasn't **really **teasing him," the bunny explained innocently. "I think that he looks cute as a tiny little bunny when he gets scared."_

_The green-eyed pooka's cheeks turned pink under his fur. "Who ya callin' cute, sheila!"_

_"That's enough, Aster." his father told him. However, the small spat was quickly forgotton when both little pookas ran off to find their mothers who were working in the fields._

_Bunnymund had been orphaned at a very young age, or at least that's what everyone told him. He couldn't remember if he had parents, or even a family before he was found and adopted by his new father and mother. His father was the head of the clan of pookas and also the Easter Bunny. The little pooka was the youngest of three kits. He was immidietly accepted by his new siblings. However, the two oldest, Oliver and Sienna, never let him play games with them. They always would tell him that he was "too small" and he "would probably get hurt."_

_He and Bellezza met a week after he had first arrived in his new home. Oliver, acting like a mean older brother, had spooked the poor pooka with a cruel prank. The older rabbit had laughed even harder when Bunnymund shrank down half his size, making him look like a tiny, fluffy newborn kit._ **(1)** _Ashamed, Bunnymund had run off to the gardens to be alone. As he was hiding among the bushels of spring flowers, he nearly jumped three feet in the air when he heard a soft voice ask, "Are you alright?"_

_The female bunny was looking at him from behind a patch of tulips. She looked like she was about his age, but slightly bigger. Considering of course that Bunnymund just happend to be a little on the scrawny side. Her pelt was as light as fresh cream, with small flecks of brown markings all over her. Her blue eyes looked at him in curiosity._

_"Y-yeah...I'm fine. Is this your garden?"_

_She smiled before hopping toward him. "No. Well, kind of. Each family in the clan owns their own garden, the leader of course gettin' the biggest one. Say, aren't you Leader Noah's new kit?"_

_Bunnymund nodded. "I'm E. Aster Bunnymund. But, my mum and dad call me Aster."_

_"What does the E. stand for?"_

_"Edward, or at least that's what me Mum tells me."_

_"Well, I'm Bellezza. My parents told me it means beauty in Italian. But all my friends call me Belle."_

_The two pookas became best friends that day and were inseperable ever since. As they got older, they both came to find out that their parents had actually arranged for them to become mates when they became adults, ever since the first day they had met. The two of them made "yuck" faces at each other whenever the subject would come up. They were best friends, they couldn't become mates. It would be too weird._

_Later that night, Bunnymund's family was relaxing in their home after dinner. The rabbit knew that asking to play with Oliver and Sienna would be like a suicidal mission, so he went off to look for his father. He found him in his outdoor workshop just off of the kitchen. He was sitting at one of his stone tables painting rows upon rows of egglets. Easter had come and gone only a few days ago, but the responsibilities of the Easter Bunny never took a vacation. Bunnymund hopped over to his father, crawled up onto his lap and snuggled up comfortably under his chin. He loved times like these when he could be alone with the older rabbit. His father smiled and tussled the hair on his son's head before going back to painting the eggs._

_After a few moments of silence, Bunnymund asked, "Dad?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"Why do ya have to listen to the Man in the Moon? How come he chose you to be a guardian?"_

_"Well Aster, the thing about Manny is tha' he works in mysterious ways. To som' people he falls silent to 'em. But to others like the guardians, and a select few, he shares words of wisdom and advice. Nobody really knows why we listen to him. I think it's 'cause he's the one who chose us as guardians and turned us into who we are in the first place."_

_"So, he turned ya into a pooka?" when his father nodded, he asked "Were ya human before you were a pooka? Why'd he choose you to be a guardian?"_

_"To tell ya the truth, I don't know if I was. All memories of my past life have been lost to me. But, the reason he made me a guardian is 'cause the Easter Bunny brings Hope to children when Spring comes. Spring and Easter represent new beginnings, new life, and the Hope that comes of it. And Hope, Wonder, Memories, Dreams is what needs to be protected of the children of the world. Do you understand?"_

_"I think so..." the gray bunny trailed off as an unpainted egglet walked over to him. Picking up a paint brush he took the egg in his paws and carefully started painting it his tounge sticking out the side of his mouth in concentration. Noah watched him a small smile on his face. When Bunnymund was done, he held the egg up for his father to inspect. A bright pink egg with a blue ribbon the same shade of Bellezza's eyes decorating it._

_"I have to say Aster, you're paintin' skills have been gettin' a lot better. Is that egg for Bellezza?" his father teased._

_Bunnymund rolled his eyes. "No. Seriously Dad."_

_Noah laughed and tussled his hair again. "I'm just kiddin'. But really, your skills are gettin' a lot better. Why, if you keep practicin', you could probably become the next Easter Bunny one day!"_

_The little rabbit's eyes lit up. "Do ya really think so Dad?"_

_"I know so Aster." the older rabbit said smiling warmly._

* * *

**_Smoke_**

_That was the first thing that hit Bunnymund's nose as he was shaken awake by his mother. Her eyes were full of pure fear._

_"Mum? What's wrong?" he asked sleepily sitting up and rubbing his eyes._

_"Aster, you need to get up. We need to get out of here." without another word, she pulled her youngest son quickly from his room and outside._

_Bunnymund started coughing from the smoke that he immidietly breathed in. He stared out ahead in horror. Fires were breaking out everywhere. Pookas were running from their homes trying to escape. The little bunny watched in horror as a group of dark and terrifying creatures he had never seen before came out of nowhere, and started killing his people left and right. Without thinking, Bunnymund broke away from his mother._

_"**ASTER!**" she cried out terrified._

_Bunnymund dodged through the rabbits running in every direction. He had to find his father, and more importantly, Bellezza. He finally came upon her home. Smoke and flames were billowing out of the roof and windows. The garden had become a huge torch._

_"Bellezza! Where are you!" he called out running along their fence. He stopped as his ears shot up and picked up a close by yell for help. Following it, Bunnymund hopped around the corner and was met with an awful sight._

_Bellezza's parents were broken, bloody heaps on the ground. Standing over them was a man, a **human,** that he had never seen before, holding a struggling Bellezza by the throat. His skin was ashy gray with black, spiky hair. His eyes were pale cold yellow and he was wearing a black cloak that covered his feet._

_"Well, well. This must be Noah's son that I've heard so much about. **Edward Aster Bunnymund**."_

_"How in bloody hell do ya know who I am?"_

_"Word gets around my little friend."_

_Bunnymund's eyes immidietly went to Bellezza. "Let her go."_

_"That's right, this pretty little thing is destined to be your mate, isn't she?" the man smiled evily and tightend his grip. Bellezza gasped for air and clawed at the hand holding her prisoner._

_"**I SAID LET HER GO!**"_

_A black sythe suddenly appeared in the man's hand. "Make me, rabbit." The creatures Bunnymund had seen earlier appeared this time in the shape of horses._

_Bellezza opened her mouth and bit down hard on the man's hand. After yelling out in pain, he threw the little pooka to the ground. What happend next would forever haunt Bunnymund for as long as he lived. The phantom took his sythe and drove the blade through Bellezza's stomach._

_"**BELLEZZA!**"_

_The female pooka turned her head toward her friend. The light was slowly dying from those blue eyes. Using the last of her strengh, she whispered. "**I love you, Aster." **then her eyes turned dark._

_Everything passed by in a blur as Bunnymund ran. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, tears streaming down his face. Somehow, he made his way to the forest on the outer border of his village. He didn't look back as the fires grew bigger and the smoke got thicker. He finally did stop, however, when he heard a dark laugh echo through the forest. "Such a shame about your friend. She was awfully pretty."_

_"Come out here so I can kill you, you son of a bitch!" Bunnymund screamed. He wanted to rip this man limb from limb until he was nothing left but a bloody pulp._

_"Is that the way to talk in front of your **family?"**_

_The gray pooka looked in front of him and saw his family tied to a tree beaten and bloody. Oliver and Sienna were both crying and struggling to get free. His mother was sobbimg and looking at her youngest son, her eyes telling him to run away as fast as he could. But Bunnymund couldn't budge. His eyes wandered over to his father. Noah raised his head and looked at him with a heartbroken look on his face._

_"Aster," he rasped, "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you."_

_His father's body started glowing suddenly in a green light. It traveled from his body to Bunnymund's enveloping the small pooka. When the light faded, the pooka had no idea what had just happend. Then he looked to his father to see that he was tapping the ground with one of his feet. Bunnymund's eyes widened as he understood. Noah had given him the powers of the Easter Bunny. Now he was telling him to escape by making a rabbit hole._

_He started to shake his head when the dark horses started appearing out of the darkness and surrounding the tree. Noah looked at his son for the last time sternly and tapped his foot. With tears in his eyes, Bunnymund did what he was told. He tumbled down as a rabbit hole opened under his feet. The last thing he heard was the crushing of bones and the screams of his family._

_The pooka tumbled head over heels down the tunnel until he came to a stop. Tears filled his eyes as he curled up in a ball and sobbed silently. Yesterday he had been surrounded by his people and loving family. Now...he was all alone._

* * *

Jack skated slowly around her pond in Burgess. She hadn't meant to make it snow in the Warren. She just didn't want the pooka to yell at her again. She hated yelling, even if it wasn't directed at her. It made her think back to the recent memories of her past life that she had asked Tooth for a few days ago. She and the kangaroo had been getting along so well since Pitch was defeated, and now she had ruined it by opening her big mouth. She finally slowed and sat down cross-legged on the ice, frost spreading out on the thin surface making it stronger for the winter spirit. Maybe she could do something to make it up for him.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a voice calling her name. Realizing it was Bunnymund, she sprang up quickly from her seat and flew off to the trees on the other side of the pond. She pressed her back against one of the tree trunks and hid.

"Jack? C'mon, Frostitute we need to talk."

A small smile crossed the ice spirit's face. If he had called her that months ago, she would have jumped out and given him an earful for it. Now, it was more said as a sign of endearment than an insult.

"Listen Jack, if you're here I want to tell you I'm _not _mad at you. I just wanna talk."

After a few moments, the winter spirit slowly came out of her hiding place. Bunnymund was standing on the other side of the pond shifting back and forth on his big feet. Probably trying to keep the blood flowing through them since the Easter Bunny wasn't exactly a big fan of the snow. Jack sat on the ground against the tree and waited for her friend.

When the pooka finally made his way over, he brushed some snow off of a log before sitting down and massaging his feet from the coldness. An awkward silence followed. Finally, Jack sighed, "Bunny...I'm sorry. About everything."

The pooka shook his head. "Kid, I could honestly care less that the egglets are multicolored. If you had somehow squashed 'em that would be a different story," he was quiet for a few moments. "But, I need to apologize for yelling at you the other night. Ya see... somethin' happened a long time ago. Somethin' that I wish never happened."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Bunny. I understand."

"I know, mate. But, what you called me, it was an honest mistake. Ya haven't been part of the team long enough to know everythin' about each of the guardians. I shouldn't have acted so quickly, and I'm sorry. Can ya forgive me?" The pooka sputtered as a blue snowball hit his face. He looked up to see Jack smirking like a bandit.

"Oh you're so dead, sheila!"

"You're going to have to catch me first, Kangaroo!"

**Post notes-**

**(1) **The Rise of the Guardians Wiki said that when he goes into his disbelieved state he turns into Baby Bunnymund :D

Btw, Bellezza's name is pronounced **Bella-zah.**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Ok, I think Bunny's past is the most depressing past I've ever written. It almost made Nighthunter cry :D. WHOO HOO THEY MADE UP! Anyway, review and I'll see ya in chapter six!**


	6. Chapter 6:Bonds Through Tragedy

**Chapter Six:**

**Bonds through Tragedy**

Night had fallen over the town of Burgess. Jack landed lightly on her feet in the middle of town. She had finished her winter rounds an hour before. North would be expecting her back home at the Pole. She smiled to herself, knowing that the kind and boisterous man she had come to see as a father would have a heart attack if she was even ten minutes late coming home. She imagined that he would dream up wild and ridiculous scenarios explaining why she wasn't home on time. This sort of thing had been going on ever since the winter spirit had started living with him.

"I'm 300 years old, North! I'm not some brainless teenager!" she had cried when she had come home late from her rounds a few nights before. The toy maker gave her a bone crushing hug before asking where she had been. The ice spirit rolled her eyes and said she lost time hanging with Jaime. That had been a lie. No matter how much of a father figure North was to her, she couldn't tell him where she really was going. She remembered every detail of what really did happen though.

She flew through the silent town, and during so she noticed Sandy's dreamsand flowing into houses and forming into small dinosaurs and dolphins above resting children. She laughed gently as one of the dream dolphins flew out of a window and swam through the air next to her, flying around in various loops. The ice spirit sat down next to Sandy on one the chimneys. She dangled her legs over the side and watched the children's dreams start to move out of the houses and begin walking and flying around Burgess.

The little man looked over at his companion. A picture of the North Pole appeared over his head and then a question mark.

"I'm going home in a bit. Don't worry about me."

A clock appeared in the sand along with an image of a worried North not soon after. Jack rolled her eyes and responded, "Yes, I know North's going to be worried, but I have to do something important first before I head back."

Another question mark appeared above the head of the confused little man.

"Sorry Sandy, it's kind of personal."

The man nodded in understanding and went back to his work. Jack watched for a few more moments before getting up and flying to the forest on the outside of town. She finally came upon her pond. Even though she had brought only a light flurry to Burgess this month, the pond remained strongly frozen and became even more sturdy as the ice spirit walked across. As her feet touched it, it sent a sensation to her that had been so long foreign. It made her feel cold.

She was the spirit of winter, feeling as one with the colder temperatures and felt as comfortable in them as someone in sixty degree weather. But this pond, this long-standing symbol of her past, was the only thing that could chill her. She knew why, it was a sign that deep beneath the snow, she was still human. She lifted her feet off the pond and began her decent through the forest.

As Jack walked through, the sky began filling with more stars as time ticked by. Twirling her staff once, an orb of bright blue light filled the space in the curve of the staff. Finally, the spirit stopped walking. The soft glow of the staff fell over smooth gray stone.

Jack knelt and brushed away the thin layer of snow that had covered the front of the grave. When she was done with the dusting, she sat back on her legs. "Hey Jane. Happy first snow. Sorry it wasn't a lot. I didn't want to lose your grave in all of it."

The piece of stone was the only thing that stood out on the floor in the winter forest. The marble had been damaged in many places, due to 300 years of battling weather. Most of the words were faded, but miraculously, three words managed to stay strong and legible:

**Jane Rose Overland**

"My winter rounds have got a lot better. I've seen a lot of new places that I've never been to," Jack started, "Guardian stuff has gone better too. Bunny and I made up, so we're friends again thankfully. You would have liked him. He can be as stubborn as an ass sometimes, but inside he's pretty soft." The winter spirit's voice suddenly grew quiet. "I... found out why the Man in the Moon turned me into... well, this. I saved you from falling through the pond. He chose me to be a guardian right off the bat. I... I want to say I'm sorry. I saved you... but you suffered in the end when I fell through the ice. It was _my_ fault that I stepped onto it. It was _my_ fault that I didn't test the ice before we went skating. And...," tears started running down her smooth pale cheeks, "and... it's _my fault _that Dad left. I'm sorry._ I'm so sorry_."

"Oi! Frostitute!"

Jack immediately straightened up and wiped her tears away. She stood in front of the grave and smiled as she caught sight of Bunnymund making his way toward her, shaking his feet out continually to keep them from getting cold as he continued to step on the white powdery floor.

"Kangaroo?! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. North is swearin' up and down that 'uve been kidnapped, and sent me to find you since I was the only one available."

"Oh! Is it that late already?"

"It's past Midnight, stupid."

"Really?" she asked innocently.

The hare rolled his eyes. "Come on. It's getting colder out here and I'm not the biggest fan of having my hide tacked over North's fireplace for havin' you home later than you already are." he started back the way he came a few steps before he noticed the ice spirit wasn't following. He turned around to see her looking down at the ground, shifting her feet uncomfortably. "Jack?"

"_I'll never get used to him saying that," _she thought to herself. Usually, the pooka would refer to her playfully as "Kid", "Mate", and most often "Frostitute", but these were the rare times when he would use her real name. It sounded foreign on his tongue when he said it. It rolled off his tongue in such an odd way that the sound was odd, yet perfectly crisp and distinguishable.

After a short period of sighing to break the brief yet heavy silence, Jack raised her head, her expression serious and bold, "If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even North."

"Ok."

"I'm _dead _serious, Kangaroo."

"Ok! I, Bunnymund, solemnly swear that I will not tell anyone where you, Jack Frost, have been sneakin' off these past few nights, and by extension make your "father" think that you're off smokin' pot with the other delinquent spirits."

"Ok... Wait, what?! He thinks I'm doing that!"

"Kidding, Frosty."

Gritting her teeth, Jack sighed and stepped aside, revealing the aged grave. Bunnymund's eyebrow quirked curiously as he squatted down to get a better look. "Jane Rose Overland. Who's this, mate?"

"...My sister..."

The hare froze staring at the stone. Another long period of silence fell heavy upon the both of them, only ended by Bunny's words, which he was barely able to say with such a constricted mouth, "I'm...I'm sorry, Jack."

"No, it's ok. You didn't know."

Another few minutes of silence followed. Finally, Bunnymund said quietly, "What... happened to her exactly? If ya don't mind me askin'."

"...There...was an epidemic. Scarlet fever I think it was. It spread through our village like wildfire. My mother caught it and I'm guessing that's how Jane caught it. After awhile, the sickness moved on. Everyone got better..., but she was the sickest one in the village. She died shortly after her tenth birthday. This... happened all after I became Jack Frost."

"Christ, I'm real sorry mate. Really, I am."

The winter spirit knelt next to the hare. She cupped her hands and an orb of blue light grew inside of them. It grew bigger until an ice Magnolia appeared in her hands.

"Magnolias were her favorite flower. As long as I keep bringing snow to Burgess, it will stay here for a long time." She placed the small offering in front of the grave. She stood up and picked up her staff. "We better get back to the Pole before North start killing everything in sight out of worry." She walked past the hare but stopped as he started talking. But it wasn't to her.

"'Ello, Jane. My name is Bunnymund. I'm a good friend of your sisters. I'm also one devil of an Easter Bunny."

Jack was suddenly filled with a quiet rage. "_Is he teasing me!?"_ She angrily asked herself over and over. She clenched her fist with such force that a few drops of cool blood dripped and began to stain the pure white snow below. She unclenched her fist and began to form a ball of ice in her hand to throw. Not snow, but solid ice, and made spikes jut out of it, meaning that whoever got hit by it was gonna hurt, bad. However, as Jack began to wind-up a throw that would leave Bunnymund out cold, he said something that stopped her mid-motion.

"Ya must have been a great person, to be so highly praised by Jack, who, to me at least, is one of the kindest and carin' souls in the world."

Jack dropped the ice ball as small tears began to fall down her cheek. Bunny turned, stood up and went over to her and pulled her into a hug. "I miss her so much Bunny..." she said into his chest.

_"Get out of here son..."_

Bunny shut his eyes tight as his fathers words once more shot through his mind. "I know how ya feel Jack, I know..."

He pulled away from the ice spirit a few moments later. His heart constricted when he saw the red eyes and tears still falling down her face. He bent down and brushed some of the snow away making a small patch of frozen grass visible next to the ice Magnolia. Jack watched in curiosity as the pooka took something out of the satchel on his back. Sticking the object into the ground, Bunnymund's smile grew as a beautiful pink tulip grew from the ground.

"It's a Honey Tulip," he explained standing up his back to Jack. "I grow 'em in the Warren. It has special powers that will make it survive for a long time. Even through snow storms." He said the last sentence with a hint of humor in his tone. His ears perked as Jack walked toward him, her bare feet crunching the snow underneath her. The pooka stiffened as arms wrapped around his middle. Jack pressed her forehead to his back.

"_Thank you_. For everything." she whispered, her voice shaking.

A small smile formed on the hare's lips. He turned around and pulled the ice spirit into another hug. Jack gripped onto his fur and started crying. Bunnymund held her tight and pressed his pink nose to the top of her head. It was at that moment that he realized something. No matter how much the winter spirit got on his nerves with her pranks and stupid nicknames, their friendship had been deepened forever through bonds of tragedy.

**Post Notes- HOORAY! MORE ANGSTYNESS! So, I've been noticing in a lot of fanfics that since Jack's sister doesn't exactly have a name, a lot of people have been calling her Jill since her brother is Jack. I think that's really cute, but after watching a few amvs for Jack and his sister, she seemed more like a Jane to me :). Awww, I loved Bunny's little offering.**

**Btw I want to thank two people who have helped me out with this story. My boyfriend nighthunter1220 who has helped with editing my ROTG stories, and also TheAlmightyPyro. I was kind of in a writer's block on what to do for chapter six and the chapters after that, but she helped me get through that. She also suggested writing Fem!JackXBunnymund oneshots, and that's exactly what I'm doing now. Keep on the look out for my oneshot "Endlessly" that's coming out soon. Yes, it is going to be Fem!JackXHuman!Bunnymund :D. Once again big thanks to them.**

**Anyway, review, and I'll see you all in chapter seven ;)**


	7. Chapter 7:May I Have This Dance?

**Author note- Okay, I'm gonna clear up some confusion here:**

**1. Pitch was the one who killed Bunnymund's family.**

**2. The mysterious figure in Pitch's lair is NOT Pitch. He's someone different.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven:**

**"May I Have this Dance?"**

_"Ah, fine detailin', my old nemesis," _Bunny thought to himself as he elegantly moved his paint brush across the finely colored egg that laid in his soft paw. He squinted as carefully placed tiny dots of white along the circumference of the blue egg in even interval. He held his concentration tight as he continued his seemingly never-ending work. Although it seemed as though this work was endless, Bunnymund would always rediscover enjoyment in every part of it, even if it was only tiny. There was always one driving force that propelled Bunny to continue to craft these eggs into back-breaking works of art,...the children. He knew how they all counted on him, even if only slightly, to keep their beliefs strong and their childhood stronger. They would all eventually cease to believe, and Bunny knew this, but also, for every one that stopped believing, there came along two new youths who did. Therefore, Bunny adopted a philosophy of "Let them enjoy it while they can." Bunny smiled and looked down at the egg in his hand, knowing that soon it would bring a child joy, and that, more than anything, made it worth it.

"GODAMMIT, SCREW THESE EGGS!" Jack shouted as she chucked an egg at one of the large stones in the Warren. The pooka's ears flattened against his head and squeezed his eyes shut as the peaceful silence was shattered.

"If ya can't paint a design, please don't try to kill any of the egglets."

"It's not my fault! My hand is just refusing to make a simple swirl!"

Jack had come to the Warren earlier that morning. According to North, the young teen had gotten bored and started freezing elves, not to mention the toy maker's prized fish tank. Easily fed up with her pranks, North had sent her to Bunnymund's place, since the two guardians seemed to get along well them being close in age. The pooka thought that a good way to contain her hyper energy was to teach her the art of how to paint eggs properly. Now, he was slowly regretting that decision. Unlike him, Jack's concentration broke easily and patience lasted briefly. Especially when it came to tiny details.

Bunnymund walked over to the stone table where the winter spirit was working. She was grumbling at the moment while applying sloppy layers of color to her current egglet. The hare shook his head and gently took the offending confection out of her hand. Jack watched curiously as he seated himself next to her.

"You're puttin' too much paint on for the base color. Just put a little on your brush. It'll cover most of the egg before ya 'ave to get more paint." Cleaning off the gobs of paint, the pooka slowly and carefully dipped his brush into a jar of yellow, so the only thing that was covered was the tip. He then proceeded to carefully craft color and substance onto the blank canvas of the egg. Unlike the sloppy mess it had looked a few seconds ago, the careful brush strokes gave it a smoother surface and brilliance of color.

"How do you have the patience?" the winter spirit asked. Her eyes had grown in wonder as she had watched the pooka use his hands masterfully.

Placing the egg back in her hand, Bunny smiled, "Lots of practice, Frostitute. Lots of practice."

The two guardians continued to paint into the early afternoon. Jack was thrilled when she had finally made a presentable batch of eggs. Bunnymund couldn't help but smile softly at the spirit's happiness. Jack had visited the Warren a lot more often than she used to. The pooka, who was used to a secluded life of hard work and loneliness felt his spirits raise every time Jack rode in on the winter winds. She would help him with rounding up the egglets, which would sometimes lead her to freezing some of them, which would always lead to the hare chasing her and throwing boomerangs. But despite all that, Bunnymund still retained his opinion that Jack was a fun person to be around.

Bunnymund's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Jack's voice, "Oh, Hi Baby Tooth!"

The tiny fairy had appeared out of seemingly nowhere, and landed on Jack's work table. She started talking in her cute little squeaks and tiny hand gestures.

"What is she sayin, mate? I still can't speak fairy."

"She's saying that North's having a party tonight. Apparently it's to celebrate me becoming a guardian," the ice spirit translated. She felt a little humbled. Nobody had ever thrown her a party in her honor before.

Baby Tooth continued talking in her "fairy language" with many motions indicating flying, teeth, and other random motions.

"She also says that I should meet Tooth at her palace. She wants to..." Jack trailed off her face turning slightly pink. "Oh hell no!"

"What?" Bunnymund asked. Baby Tooth was suddenly fluttering in his face giving him a look of warning. "What?!"

"She says I'm not supposed to tell you. But wear something dressy to the party tonight."

"I'm a bloody bunny! I don't wear clothes!"

"Not clothes, just look nice." The ice spirit rolled her eyes before standing up and grabbing her staff. Baby Tooth situated herself on Jack's shoulder.

She turned to Bunnymund. "Thanks for putting up with me today. Will we see you at the party tonight?"

"Course. North would most likely skin me alive if I didn't. And Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever think that I have to 'put up with you'. We're friends, aren't we?"

A few moments of awkward silence passed before the ice spirit's face finally broke out into a big smile and she nodded, "Yeah. We are."

* * *

"Hold still!"

"I'm bloody fine!"

"Not when that one piece of fur is still sticking up!" Tooth finally managed to make the one unruly tuft of fur on Bunny's head to stay down. The Big Four were at the North Pole. The last of the party guests were just starting to arrive in North's massive ballroom. Tooth was putting the finishing touches on the other guardians. She then looked over them, like a mother inspecting her family to see if they were decent looking for a family photo. The fairy looked even more beautiful than she usually did. Just for the occasion her feathers had turned from their usual blues and greens to shades of dark purple and pink that matched her eyes perfectly.

North and Sandy were both wearing tuxedos. The little man's was made out of golden dreamsand and he had added a top hat and cane into the mix, while North stuck with classic black with a dark red bow tie and had managed to, somewhat, straighten his long flowing silver hair. He looked like a father going to his child's very first school play. The pooka would never known where the jolly toy maker would get these clothes living in a toy workshop.

Bunnymund had actually decided to listen to Tooth this time about looking dressy. While not the wearing clothes, he had replaced his usual apparel with newly made and polished armor. Golden arm bracers, satchel, and boomerang holder. Not to mention that Tooth mad him bathe and brush down his fur. The pooka's fur was now darker than it usually was. It was also a tad sleeker and had a feathery soft feeling, making him look very handsome. All in all, Bunnymund didn't half mind being primed and pulled like a little kid. He just hoped it would make Jack happy.

"Now, where iz our guest of honor, Tooth?" North asked the fairy, a large sign of anxiety radiant in his voice. Tooth smiled wide and flew out of the room. They listened close as she conversed with Jack.

"Come on you look _great!"_

"Hell no."

"Stop being such a baby."

"I'm not a baby!"

"Then get out here and show them!"

"_Never!"_

"Fine...then you don't get to go to the party."

A short silence followed.

"...goddammit, fine."

Tooth flew back into the room. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Come on in Jack."

An exaggerated sigh was heard before the winter spirit came in. Bunnymund's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

Jack's silver dress shined bright in the light and caused all who looked upon it to feel a sense of awe. Her hair was beautifully curled and draped over left shoulder. Her eyes looked piercing with such a tasteful light blue eye shadow. She started to walk down the steps in expensive blue stilettos. As she began her slow descent down the stairs, all party members slowly stopped their conversations, turned and looked at her. Her snow-white cheeks turned pink as she noticed everyone's eyes all fixed upon her beautiful visage. She found it hard to move, as though she had accidentally frozen herself again. Every male, North excluded, looked longingly at her attractive figure. Sandy had even held up a sign with seven digits and a note above saying "bitches call her for a good time." A dark glare from North made it slowly come down.

Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, Jack felt like her face was as red as a tomato after literally everyone gazes had fallen upon her and many mouths were on the floor. Before she could even feel even _more_ embarrassment, North had set the party into motion. Realizing he was gawking, Bunnymund quickly shut his mouth and shook his head. "_Crikey, what the hell is wrong with me?"_

As the party continued on into the night, Jack began to relax more. She chatted with most of the spirits, blushing slightly when they complimented her on her outfit. She had made her way over to the huge buffet table and was about to pour herself some punch when a smooth, cocky voice made her freeze, "Nice party, huh Jackie?"

Turning slowly around, Jack's good mood immediately flew south. "What the hell do you want, Saben?"

"Now Jackie, is that anyway for a woman to talk to an old friend?"

"Don't _ever _call me Jackie _again."_

The summer spirit ran his hand through his spiky dirty blonde hair, as though trying to seem suave, although to Jack, it only reminded her of what kind of scum he really was behind the handsome face. His cocky smile caused her skin to crawl as his intrusive eyes looked her up and down. "You know, that dress looks good on you. It would look even better on the ground."

With that one statement, Jack summoned all of her force into her hand and promptly smacked Saben across the face, leaving a large handmark on his cheek. He quickly regained his sickening smirk and said "Ooooo, chilly kitty's got some fight in her. That's fine, I like it rough. Of course, you wouldn't know that, seeing as how I left you before you could get some of the serpent in your crevas."

Ignoring the chill that ran down her spine, Jack said "Did you? Or did you literally beg me to sleep with you for over a month and a half before you realized that your right hand wasn't a good enough substitute and left me."

By now they had become the center of attention, and this response caused many to snicker and laugh at Saben, whose face started to turn red with a slowly escalating anger. Seeing this, Jack smiled and turned away, thoroughly satisfied. As she began to walk away, Saben reached out his hand trying to grab her ass. He licked his lips and smiled, knowing he could create a complete humiliation for Jack by one single grab. However, before he could grab her, he felt his hand launch in the other direction and searing pain swelled in his wrist. He screeched out and clenched his wrist in agony. He looked down and saw that it was a large boomerang that had caught his hand.

He began to turn his head toward the direction where it came, but before he could say anything, he felt a rabbit's foot firmly slam against his face, and a large crack rang through the large room as his nose broke. He felt himself be propelled several feet and slide hard on the ground. Before he could think about what had just happened to him, the air quickly left his body as a powerful force collided with his chest pinning him to the ground. He looked up into the furious eyes of Bunnymmund.

"Let's play a little game, mate. You be the baby...and I'll be the _dingo."_

Saben struggled to get himself free, but Bunnymund had put so much pressure on his chest that finding any small snippet of air that could squeeze into his lungs took most of his energy. Bunnymund bit his lip hard just looking at this disgusting excuse for a seasonal spirit. He pushed down as hard as he could without breaking a rib, although god knows if he had a molecule less of restraint they would all be broken. Bunnymund reached behind him and pulled out his other boomerang and raised it high above his head, aiming to bring it down with full force on Saben's head. Before he could though, he felt a soft hand gently place itself on his raised forearm. He felt his anger quell as he turned to face Jack, whose snow-white hand had been the one to stop him.

"Bunny stop, he's not worth it."

Bunnymund quickly regained his composure and removed his foot from Saben's chest and walked away following Jack. He walked down a small hallway and through a set of french style double doors that led to an outdoor balcony. They stepped out into the chilly winter night and Bunny's fur, which had been brushed down, now completely puffed up, due to the change in temperature. He grumbled and smoothed out the fluffiness before slowly walking over to Jack. The winter spirit was over by the railing, arms resting on the polished ivory and looking out at the snowy mountains that surrounded North's workshop. He stopped a few steps behind her before she spoke, "Why did you attack him?"

Her voice was calm, but the pooka sensed anger rising slowly but surely into her tone.

"He was gonna grab your ass, Jack! What the hell would you do in that situation?"

"Did you really have to send him flying across the room?" she continued still calm.

"Was there any other option?"

She turned around and faced him with crossed arms. Her eyebrows were arched down and her eyes were very ablaze with fury. "I could have handled it, I don't need your help."

Bunny took an over-exaggerated look of bewilderment. "Oh I can see that, a random jerk ya don't even know goes to grab ya' ass and u've got it covered."

Jack eased her body slightly as she said, "No, I knew him..."

"Well then who in holy hell was he if just thinks he can grab ya there?!" Bunny demanded. His anger and frustration were only building at this point.

"He's an ex-boyfriend, happy now?" Jack said, some of her resentment and anger returning to her. As those words hit him, Bunny felt his anger subside, his fists unclench, his eyes widen, and his ears suddenly drop down to the back of his head. The two stared at each other, Jack looking pissed and Bunny looking slightly hurt, for what felt like hours. It was the ice spirit who finally broke the staring contest and shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She looked at him angrily. "That's your excuse for lashing out at everyone when you don't know the story, isn't it?" Before he could reply, she brushed past him and walked through the doors, leaving the pooka out in the cold.

* * *

It was getting later as a few hours past. Jack stifled a yawn and restrained herself from rubbing her eyes. Tooth would be wringing her throat if she smudged even a speck of her makeup. For as much as Tooth's feminine attributes annoyed her, she always did like them, and even found herself influenced by them, despite her better judgement. She looked around and saw that everyone was beginning to slow dance with one another. She saw Tooth dancing in a sickeningly cute fashion with Baby Tooth, North started with an old friend of his, and Sandy was being torn between eight different spirits. Jack snickered lightly and leaned up against a wall and crossed her arms.

As time further pressed on, more and more men asked her to dance. Some would come with great bravado while others would come so shy they could barely speak a word. However, whether shy or brave, she would always give a polite decline. It seemed as though every available man had asked her, even Saben while nursing a broken nose and had walked over, but she give him a firm "_Hell no"_ before words even left his open mouth and he slowly sulked away. Soon enough men stopped coming and she was finally left alone. While a sigh of relief came over her, she began to feel a small sense of loneliness, as though she was cut off from everyone else in the room, in a tiny world where no one could see or hear her, just like it used to be...

"'Ello there mate," Bunny said as he walked up next to her, breaking her solitude, "So hows the party goin for ya?"

Jack simply shrugged and continued to look blankly at the party of dancing men and women. Bunny started to lean against the wall as well, crossing his own arms and trying to match Jack's expression of apathy. He knew what he wanted to say, but he felt his jaw seal itself shut out of pure fear and anxiousness. He focused his sight straightforward on the dancing crowd. He studied almost every couple and tried to commit their movements to memory. If he succeeded in asking Jack to dance, he would need to have some idea of what he was doing.

He summoned a great deal of strength toward to his mouth and barely opened it to let words come out. He cautiously turned his head to Jack and said, with barely any detection of real sound, "Jack, do you wanna...dance?"

"What?"

Bunnymund swallowed hard, as he knew this time he had to speak even louder and risk himself an even larger humiliation. While clenching his fist, he took a deep breath, wiped away all of his nervous and his self-doubt, and returned to his regular determined demeanor. "May I have this dance?"

The silence that followed was slowly killing the pooka on the inside. Jack just kept looking at him with a look of complete surprise. Bunnymund began to panic and quickly considered just turning around and running away, however, those thoughts were suddenly de-railed when Jack's voice softly said, "I'm a horrible dancer."

The pooka's confident smile returned as he took her small hand gently in his soft paw, "If I can teach ya to paint eggs, then I can teach ya how to dance."

He began pulling her toward the dance floor and she very reluctantly followed. He guided her along a seemingly unending maze of spirits until he had brought the both of them to the center. Everyone noticed as they went by and soon all turned and circled around the two of them. Jack found herself hiding her face in Bunnymund's chest, extremely embarrassed and not willing to show her face. Bunnymund smiled down at her, took her hand, and began a waltz.

Jack felt as though she was being strung along as Bunnymund expertly moved up and down, in and around in such a precise and stylistic manner. Multiple times when trying to catch up with him, Jack would accidentally step on one of Bunny's large feet with her stiletto heel. Bunnymund winced slightly to himself when it happened but not loud enough that Jack could hear, he didn't want to ruin this dance with her unhappiness. After awhile, Jack caught on to the movements and was able to match the pooka's steps. She had finally lifted her face up and was smiling brightly. Bunnymund smiled softly, glad that the snow spirit was finally enjoying herself. He caught Saben watching them, his eyes shooting blood soaked daggers at the guardian of Hope. The pooka smirked over Jack's shoulder at the summer spirit. She was safe from the asshole's clutches for another day.

The two guardians had just finished their waltz when a song floated in their ears. Sandy was over at the DJ table, a huge grin forming on his face. A soft, slow song filled the air and the lights dimmed slightly. Jack was thankful that the room was dark. Her face had turned bright red when she realized that the spirits around her were starting to slow dance. She looked to Bunny. He smiled softly at her and held out his paw. Staring at it for a few seconds, Jack shyly took it and let the pooka pull her close to him. He placed his other paw gently on her waist and she tentatively put her hand on his forearm. As they started swaying gently to the music, the ice spirit became more comfortable and rested her head on the pooka's arm. Bunny felt his heartbeat speed up slightly but slowly breathed in and out, allowing the blood to pump at a smooth rhythm, almost matching up with the song.

_Well, my girl's in the next room._

_Sometimes I wish she was you._

_I guess we never really moved on._

_It's really good to hear your voice_

_sayin' my name_

_it sounds so sweet._

_Comin' from the _

_lips of an angel_

_hearin' those words it makes me weak._

This song had been Jack's favorite ever since she had heard it a week ago. She had been hanging around Jamie when she had heard it playing from a nearby house. It was beautiful and its lyrics were as sweet as honey as they swam through the air and bounced off the ears. The perfect love song about the perfect guy. It made her think of how her relationship with Saben would have if he wasn't the slimy prick he was. Would she have been happier? Or was there someone else? Someone a little better for her...

However, her reminiscing was cut short as something out of the corner of her eye grabbed her attention. Jack saw a peculiar man who she had never seen before. He was tall and was wearing a long, black cloak. His back was to her, and his hood was pulled over his head, so she couldn't even hazard a guess as to who it was. What she did find, however, was that as the mysterious man passed in front of the dancers, they didn't make any acknowledgement or notice him. _"Must be the wine,"_ she thought to herself. Just to make sure, she raised her head to look up at Bunnymund. "Hey, Bunny?"

"What's up, mate?"

"Do you see that guy over there?"

The pooka's eyes roamed over the guests around them. "What guy?"

"Over there with the black hooded cloak," she motioned with her head to the direction she saw him.

Bunnymund looked around before turning his eyes back to the ice spirit. "I think you might be seein' things, Snowflake. There's nobody like that here."

The two continued dancing, but Jack kept her eye on the mysterious stranger over Bunny's shoulder. Her eyebrow quirked curiously as the man walked by two spirits and ran a hand of long, bony fingers along their arms. A scream echoed through the ballroom not a second later. The lights immediately flicked on and everyone turned to where the scream had come from. To everyone's shock, two spirits were laying on their backs on the floor. Their skin was turning an ugly shade of green and looked like it was eroding away. Their blank eyes stared up at the ceiling as the skin on their faces started to decay.

Panic soon had broken out everywhere. North and the other guardians sprang into action and tried to restore order, but that soon proved to be fruitless. Jack started following Bunnymund, but she stopped. She had the strangest feeling she was being watched. Turning slowly around, her heart nearly stopped when she made eye contact with the shadowed man from across the ballroom.

For a split second, she thought she was staring into the face of Pitch Black. The man's skin was ash gray and, in a creepy way, kind of handsome. She could see sharp teeth in his smirk from her location across the room. But on closer observation, she could see spiky blonde hair from under his hood as well as the fact that this man's eyes were acid green while Pitch's had been the color of melted gold. And it was these eyes that felt like they were intrusively staring straight into her soul. The man grinned widely at her and winked in a seductive manner. A cold chill slowly ran down Jack's spine and her skin started crawling.

"Jack?"

She snapped out of her trance and turned to see Bunny looking at her with a worried expression. "Is everything alright?"

The snow spirit looked back to where the man was, but he had vanished without a trace, as though he hadn't even been there at all.

"I...I don't know, Bunny."

**Post notes- Yup...I've gone to the level of creepy perv ex-boyfriends. And yes, the mysterious man is the same one from Pitch's lair. Review and I'll see you in Chapter Eight!**


	8. Chapter 8:Cuddling

**Author's note- Yup. Title is pretty self-explanatory.**

**Chapter Eight:**

**Cuddling**

"And zat is how Manny chose me to be ze leader against Pitch back in the Dark Ages," North boasted before downing the rest of his beer. A yeti refilled his glass immediately as the last drop had fallen upon North's tongue and the glass had touched the table, as though he was a butler in waiting.

Bunnymund held back a yawn while rubbing one of his eyes in boredom. This had been probably the four hundredth time that North was bragging about all the fearlings he had killed throughout the years past when they first defeated Pitch. The Big Five were holding one of their monthly guardian meetings, and this month it was the toy maker's turn to host. Normally, Bunny enjoyed the meetings when they shared each others achievements and plans on future holidays and child inspiring events, but when it came to North's same tales being told over and over, the pooka would have to pinch himself more than once to keep himself awake.

Swishing the dregs in the base of his wine glass in a bored fashion he turned his head to the side to talk to Jack. To his surprise the snow spirit was fast asleep, her head resting in her hand.

"Hey, Snowflake," he whispered, nudging her with his elbow. When that didn't wake her he shook her shoulder gently and with a great amount of discretion.

"Wha? Is the meeting over?" Jack asked jarring awake. Bunny noticed for the first time the dark shadows under the sapphire eyes. She looked exhausted.

"Almost. Are ya alright? Ya look like you're gonna fall over any minute."

Jack laughed lightly and rubbed her eyes. "Yeah... just haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately."

The pooka wanted to question why, but for some reason he felt like she wouldn't give him a straightforward answer, that she would avoid the issue. More often than not he realised, that before he would say something to her, he would imagine what she would do, and it was becoming eerie. He brushed it off for now and slowly slid his wine glass over to her when North wasn't looking. "Try some. I can't drink that vodka shit of North's. Made this myself."

Jack raised her eyebrow in suspicion but picked up the glass nevertheless. She was just about to raise it to her lips when one of the toy maker's elves came out of nowhere and snatched it out of her hand. The little creature waddled over to the russian and obediently gave him the glass. North raised an eyebrow playfully at Jack and shot a disapproving glare at Bunny. The two youngest guardians immediately became very interested in looking at their plates of pig snout.

* * *

_Jack screamed as she tumbled down through darkness, her body hitting cold stone over and over. Finally landing on solid ground, she sprang up and started running though the cave's dark tunnel. A voice suddenly started speaking._

_"You're fear is that nobody will ever believe in you. And worst of all, you're afraid that you'll never know why. Why you? Why were you chosen?"_

_Jack ran until she met a wall. Her eyes roamed over it anxiously, trying to find a way over it. A man's shadow suddenly came over her, she turned around and pressed her back to the wall, holding her staff in front of her._

_"Well, fear not. For the answer to that, is right here," a bony hand came out of the shadows and held out one of Tooth's golden memory containers. A picture of her with brown hair and brown eyes was on it. The snow spirit stared at it for a few moments before looking up slowly. Her eyes widened in fear as Pitch's face came into the light smirking._

_"Do you want them Jaqueline? Your memories?" he asked her. His tone was gentle as if he was trying to soothe a young child._

_She started to reach forward, but the scene suddenly changed. Blinking her eyes open, Jack shivered as cold seeped into her bare feet._

_"Jack!"_

_Her heart almost stopped. Jane was standing a few feet away from her. The ice was slowly cracking under her skates._

_"It's ok, it's ok! Don't look down, just look at me," she spoke as calmly as she could._

_"Jack, I'm scared!"_

_"I know, I know," she stepped forward but immediately shifted her weight to her other foot as the ice cracked under her. "But, you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in." She thought for a second, to think of something to take Jane's mind off of the ice. "You want to play a game? We'll play hopscotch! Like we play everyday."_

_The frightened look on her sister's face finally changed to a relieved smile._

_"See? It's as easy as one," Jack took a step to her right. The ice cracked and she grimaced slightly. Before Jane could notice, she went up on one foot and pretended she was going to fall. Jane started laughing, her demeanor slowly turning more relaxed. "Two," Jack took another step. "Three!" she jumped lightly onto the stronger ice, closer to the edge of the pond. Keeping her eyes on Jane, she slowly bent down and picked up a long stick with a curved neck. "Alright, now it's your turn."_

_Jane's fear started to show on her face again, but the reassurance in her older sister's eyes seemed to calm her a little. She took a tiny step forward and gasped as the ice cracked more. "One, that's it! Two. Three!" Jack quickly reached forward and hooked the stick around Jane's middle. She flung her to the edge of the pond and took a few steps back to regain her balance. The two sisters looked at each other and started laughing lightly in relief. Jack stood up with a smile and took a step forward. There was a cracking noise and she fell through the ice with a scream._

**_"JAQUELINE!"_**

_Cold water immediately started filling her nose and invading her lungs. Jack tried swimming upwards over and over in a panic, trying to get back to Jane, but her clothes started to weigh her down. The chill of the water began stabbing at her, causing immense pain with every motion she made. Her arms soon stopped and began to fall, as did she, slowly being dragged to the bottom of the pond and her eyes slowly closing. The last thing she saw before fading into the darkness, was the full moon._

_The darkness filled her vision for what seemed like an eternity before she found the strength to open them once more. The light from the sun made her squeeze them shut again. Sitting up, she slowly opened her eyes and gasped at what she was seeing. She was sitting atop a grassy hill. Bunnymund's Warren stretched far and wide below. A warm spring breeze blew through her hair._

**_"It's even more beautiful than I remember," _**_the snow spirit thought to herself. She leaned back on her hands and relaxed, watching two little colorful egglets scurry past her bare feet. She suddenly jumped and squeaked as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso from behind. Turning her head, Jack was surprised to see Bunnymund. His arms were loosely wrapped around her while he was sitting down, her back resting against his chest. His long legs were stretched out on either side of her and his small pink nose was gently pressed against her shoulder. His green eyes were closed and he looked very... relaxed. Jack had never seen him like this before._

_The snow spirit opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Oddly enough, she found herself liking the calm atmosphere. She relaxed into the pooka's touch and leaned her head against his shoulder. She closed her eyes enjoying the warmth filling her from both the sun and Bunny's soft fur._

* * *

Sapphire eyes sprang open in panic and Jack sat up quickly. Tears were running down her face, soon forming frost as they fell onto the blanket. That nightmare. That same nightmare was the reason she couldn't sleep for three nights straight. She pressed her palms to her eyes and cried as quietly as she could. Ever since she had seen the memories of her past life, she couldn't get the image of Jane out of her head. Her horrified expression when the snow spirit had fallen through the ice.

_"It's all your fault," _the inner voice taunted. _"You would still be alive and she would have been **happy **if you hadn't stepped onto the breaking ice. **What kind of sister are you?"**_

Jack's hands fell softly into her lap. In her mind It _was _all of her self-imposed punishment circled around in her mind, all culminating to show that from the moment she was born she had made a mess of everything. She swallowed hard, new tears pricking her eyes as the worse one of all crossed her mind, it was that if she had been born as a son then, her father wouldn't have left...

As if she wasn't aware of what her body was doing, a sharp-edged piece of ice had suddenly formed in her hands. Stretching her other arm out, she rested the flat part of the blade against her wrist. She caught her reflection in the ice. White hair all tangled in a bed head mess, blue eyes with dark shadows underneath, and tear-stained cheeks already frozen over.

A thought suddenly occurred to her. For the past three nights, her nightmare had only consisted of Pitch giving her the memory container in his lair and saving Jane and falling through the ice. But tonight, Bunnymund hugging her in his Warren was a completely new addition. The warmth that she had felt in that part of the dream was gone now, but she could still remember the warm feeling it gave her vividly. The ice knife shattered on the rug and Jack subconsciously rubbed her arms. She needed that warmth back. She _wanted _to feel warm. Ironic right?

The snow spirit slid out of bed and pulled her hoodie over her pajama shirt. Quietly opening her bedroom door, she made her way down the hallway to North's office. The light from under the door and the sounds of a hammer against a nail told Jack that the toy maker was working late. She raised her hand and was about to knock when she hesitated. How was she supposed to explain to her "father" that the Kangaroo had been in her dream, and hugging her no less? To an average person that wouldn't sound too unreasonable, but to North, he would go overboard with the subject with every bit of strength he could muster. She moved away from the door and walked down the hallway slowly. North had offered the other guardians rooms for the night. Most likely to sleep off all the liquor they had drunk that night.

Jack finally came to a stop in front of Bunny's bedroom. She was nervous to her very core. Reaching for the doorknob, she slowly opened the door. Peeking her head inside, the snow spirit saw the pooka fast asleep. He slept on his back with his head turned toward the big glass windows on his left and his right paw resting on his chest. His quiet snores alerted Jack that he was fast asleep. After closing the door, she crept over quietly until she was a foot away from the bed. "Bunny?"

"What is it, Frostitute?"

Jack stifled a gasp of surprise. The Kangaroo was indeed similar to a ninja sometimes. "I...I had a nightmare."

Bunny's eyes opened at these words. They were full of exhaustion, but traces of concern soon filled them. "What was it about?"

The snow spirit looked down at her feet. Obviously she didn't want to talk about it.

"Do ya want me to go get some dreamsand from Sandy? He's probably back by now."

Jack shook her head. She raised her head and in an almost timid voice she whispered, "Can I sleep with you?"

The pooka was shocked. He almost took the instinctive approach and told her no, but then he looked into her eyes. She looked like a frightened little kid. An image of Sophie Bennet appeared in his mind and he sighed. "Sure, Snowflake." He pulled back the covers and scooted over to make a little room for her.

Jack looked surprised but she crawled in next to him. Bunnymund made a motion that he was going to roll over and go back to sleep. However, before he could move, he froze as Jack curled up against his chest and snuggled under his chin.

The pooka looked down at the snow spirit. He really didn't have any idea what to do. He could move away from her, but then he knew that he would feel awful for not comforting her while she was so scared. He knew all too well what nightmares can do to you, and how horrible they can be. Be they horrible situations that people create, or memories from the past. His own nightmares of the loss of his family would often come back to him, just when he felt as though he was free, they would always return.

He looked at Jack with sympathy. By the way she looked, the nightmare he often experienced must have been similar to hers, as he would look the same way. Giving a sigh, he let himself relax against the snow spirit. Jack moved closer and sighed contentedly in her sleep. Bunny gently wrapped his arms protectively around her and closed his eyes. He wouldn't wish that kind of nightmare on any one, and if Jack had one as painful, then she needed an arm around her to keep her feeling safe. That was something he never had, but was determined to make sure Jack did.

**Post notes- Just wanted to give you guys a fluffy chapter. You like?**

**Next Chapter: Jack decides to help Bunny bring the next Easter :).**


	9. Chapter 9:Finding Happiness in Odd Place

**Chapter Nine:**

**Finding Happiness**

**in**

**Odd Places**

North yawned loudly as he sat up in bed the next morning. He groaned and clutched his head. _"I knew I shouldn't have drunk all zat vodka," _he thought, standing up while cradling his pounding head. Walking down the hallway, he knocked on the doors of three guest rooms saying "breakfast." Finally coming to Jack's bedroom, he knocked before entering. "Jack, iz time to-" he trailed off and stared in confusion as his eyes were met with an empty bedroom.

_"Strange. Jack's never up before me," _he mused, stroking his long, white beard. Shrugging his shoulders, he headed back down the hallway. Sandy and Tooth's open bedroom doors told him that they were both down at the table for breakfast already. He frowned when he found Bunnymund's door still closed. He clenched his fists hard and began to pound on the door with excessive power.

"Bunny, vat are you doing in there? Vake up!" he called knocking on the door again. When he wasn't given an answer, he rolled his eyes before opening the door. What he saw next made his jaw drop straight down.

Bunny was still asleep alright, but sleeping right next to him was Jack whose arms were wrapped around Bunny's mid-section. North felt the heat of anger slowly starting to build up higher in his belly. He started walking toward the bed, but as he got closer, he stopped. Jack was sleeping next to the older guardian, but it looked a lot more innocent than what he had thought it was moments before. And the snow spirit was still fully clothed, so there went the assumption of them having sex. North sighed before giving a small smile and gentle tousle to his "daughter's" head. He then left the room without a word, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Frost formed over the oak tree making it glisten in the spring sun. Jack sighed loudly and stretched out on her pond, looking up at the deep blue sky. It was the day before Easter and the snow spirit felt as if she was bored as hell. After being incredibly busy with her winter rounds, she had wanted to relax and hang out with someone. It seemed that everyone had chosen _this _week to be busy. North was having the yetis start production on the new toys that had just come out in stores and didn't want the snow spirit in the way. It also didn't help when he found Jack freezing his elves out of boredom. Tooth would be busy as usual with teeth so she was out. She couldn't find Sandy anywhere, which wasnt suprising considering his affinity for late night partying. Even Jamie, who was stuck inside Easter weekend doing projects, couldn't hang out.

"Ugh, what's someone have to do to have fun around here?" Jack groaned. She sat down on the grassy bank, a thin layer of snow forming as she sat down. Even though the warm weather had come to Burgess, Jack liked to keep her pond cooler than the outside world. This way she wouldn't get overheated. A small brown rabbit slid down the ice until it came up to her, and placed its little paws on her leg, sniffing the air. Jack smiled and gently picked up the fluffy creature and held it against her chest, stroking its ears. The rabbit settled down comfortably in the snow spirit's arms, his small nose twitching.

She always _could _visit Bunny. However, the Kangaroo was probably stressed out of his mind with all the egg hiding he had to do tonight. If he even saw her set foot in the Warren now, he would most likely tell her to leave before she could get a word in. _"He'll probably be dead tired, hiding all those eggs tonight and tomorrow," _she thought.

And then, a clever idea had struck her. Bunnymund couldn't kick her out of the Warren if she offered her help to hide the eggs. Hopefully he would be thankful for the extra help and agree. Her boredom quickly gone, Jack stood up and called the Winter Wind. As soon as she felt it, she jumped into the air and flew to the Warren.

* * *

Walking down the color river, Jack came to the part of the pooka's home where the egg tunnels were. She could already see rows upon rows of beautifully colored eggs heading into the seven tunnels, each one designated for one of the seven continents. At the top of the small hill stood Bunnymund. He had a clip board in one paw and a quill pen in the other. He was so distracted with his task that he hadn't noticed a few stray egglets wandering away from the trail to the tunnels. They tumbled down a small slope before coming to a stop at Jack's foot. She smiled and picked them up carefully before walking over to the pooka. "Missed some, Kangaroo."

When Bunny heard the sound of her voice bounce off of his ear drums, he seemed to nearly jump three feet in the air. Whirling around, his eyes turned slightly annoyed as they rested on the snow spirit. "Jack, what are ya doin' here?!" He then noticed the three eggs in her hands. "And what are ya doin' with my eggs!"

"Relax Cottontail. They went away from the path, that's all." Jack put them down and steered them in the right direction, guiding them along with her staff, before turning back to the pooka.

"No offence, Snowflake, but now is a really bad time to be makin' your visits..." Before Jack could respond, Bunny whirled around a picked up a random egglet and proceeded to study it quickly. "Why don't you have sparkles? WHO'S THE DINGO BRAIN WHO FORGOT TO PUT SPARKLES ON THIS ONE EGGLET?!"

"Uh, Bunny?"

"What!"

"I think that dingo brain is you..."

Bunny's crazed expression had suddenly shifted into a face that was ripe for a facepalm, and his ears flopped down to both sides of his head. He set the egg down and pinched the upper bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes tight. "I'm sorry Jack, I've just been so damn busy lately. I love this job as much as I should, and I take pride in my work. It's just...sometimes, I feel as though it consumes me, that it's tearin' me apart..."

Jack patted him on the back and smiled. "That's why you need a little help sometime Bunny Wunny."

His expression turned slightly brighter. "And here I was thinkin' you could never find a worse nickname than Kangaroo. But you want to help me? You have no experience, no idea of how much time, energy, and effort must be put in to meet my goal. I had to study for years on correct procedure before I even touched an egg. And you think you have the potential to aid me on this unendin' crusade of mystery and curiosity?"

"Yup." She smiled wide, the look of innocence plastered firmly onto her face. Bunny sighed and smiled earnestly. His eyes were then drawn to the big pocket of the snow spirit's hoodie. Something small was moving around. Green eyes grew wide as a small fluffy rabbit head poked out. "Jack...why is there a bunny in your hoodie?"

Jack looked confused for a second before looking down. Her sapphire eyes sparkled as she took the rabbit out and held him carefully. She giggled as he sniffed her fingers, his whiskers tickling her skin. "Sorry. He came up to me at the pond and I was petting him. Kind of forgot he was still on me." she flew a little away from the pooka before setting the bunny down in the meadow near a patch of daisies. She started stroking him again as he nibbled on some flowers distracted childishly by the adorable little creature. She didn't notice Bunny coming up to her until his tall shadow came over her. She looked up as he held out three eggs.

"Ya still wanna to help me?"

"Yup!"

"Alright. But we're gonna to have to put ya through a test first before ya can come with me."

"Yay! I love games!"

Rolling his eyes, Bunny placed the three eggs in an Easter basket. "I'm gonna hide these eggs somewhere. You _can not _peek. When I say open your eyes, try to find 'em. Got it?"

"Piece of cake," Jack responded with a cocky smirk.

"_Really? _Close 'em, Frostitiute."

The snow spirit closed her eyes tight and covered them with her hands for good measure. Bunny stood there for a few moments, his eyes wandering over the Warren trying to find a good spot to hide them. He finally decided on hiding them behind one of the stone egg golems. "Okay, Jack. Ya can open 'em. Now...go find the eggs."

"Nope."

"...Snowflake that's not how this works. You have to _find _the eggs."

"I can't. I hid them."

"No you didn't, I did!"

"Good, so you'll know where they are."

"Of course I do! They're behind the stone golem-" he stopped talking as his eyes fell on Jack's evil smirk. A small smile crept across his face. "Clever girl."

* * *

Jack landed lightly on the roof of a house. She and Bunny were hiding eggs in Australia, the pooka's native soil. Since the Outback as home to many dangerous and indigenous creatures, Jack had avoided it for the most part, never wanting to try her luck against a cobra or any other predator. She never thought it would be this beautiful. The warm orange colors danced across the chalky mountain ranges and vast deserts. She sat down on the roof and sighed contentedly, watching the sunrise slowly rise behind the distant mountains of the Outback.

"Oi, Snowflake!"

Jack snapped out of her trance and looked down. Bunnymund was on the ground, his foot tapping impatiently, an annoyed look on his face. "When I agreed to let ya help me, I didn't say you could lay around like a bloody show pony!"

"So you're comparing me to an elegant and graceful show pony?'

The pooka's cheek became flushed red and his eyes widened, looking frantically for a reply that could diverge Jack from opening the topic. With what little time he had to think of an excuse, he replied "Shut up, it's the only thing that came to my mind, don't flatter yourself."

"Oh cmon, Kangaroo. We've worked nonstop since last night. I think a five-minute break can be allowed."

Bunny pinched the skin between his eyes. Knowing he wouldn't win an argument with the stubborn spirit, he sighed and climbed up onto the roof. Smiling at her small victory, Jack stretched her arms over her head and relaxed against the sun-warmed wood. Bunny's eyes closed as a warm breeze blew through his fur. A comfortable silence settled between the two guardians as the deep red sun slowly climbed into the pink sky. Secretly, Jack loved these moments when she was alone with the pooka. The moments when there was no arguing, yelling, or pulling pranks on each other. Her dream with the pooka from the other night came to her mind. Blushing slightly, Jack shook her head clear. That was the last thing she needed to be thinking about.

After a few minutes, Bunny stood up and stretched, his back muscles rippling under blue-gray fur. The snow spirit averted her eyes when she realized she was staring.

The two guardians finished up with hiding eggs around nearby neighborhoods. They then headed toward a small park where a local children's egg hunt was being held. Jack had just hidden one of her last eggs when the sound of kids voices met her ears. By the sound of their squeals, they had found some of Bunnymund's eggs. The snow spirit bounded forward, longing to see their expressions, when a small tug on her hoodie from the pooka stopped her.

"Oh no ya don't. We have to go hide."

Jack pouted childishly. "But I want to go see!"

"You can see from the bushes. Now, come on," Bunnymund sighed. Dealing with pouty Jack was like dealing with a five-year old.

He managed to coax the snow spirit into their hiding place when the children's voices got closer. The pooka dove into the bushes a second before they appeared. Two little boys about seven-years old bounded into the clearing. Judging by their identical appearances of brown hair and blue eyes, Jack assumed that they were twins. A little girl about four years old toddled after them. Unlike her brothers, the girl's hair was bleach blonde and her eyes were a deep chocolate-brown.

"I found an egg!" one of the brothers exclaimed. He held a pale blue egg with flower designs into the air as proof. The little girl looked upon the egg, her eyes wide with amazement.

"Ya know who hides these little googies, Callie?" the boy asked her. Jack giggled softly at the boys Aussie accent. He sounded adorable.

"Tinkerbell?" the girl called Callie asked innocently. Jack snorted into her hand, trying her best to stiffle her roaring laughter. Bunny, however, sat there fur bristling and nostrils flaring in anger.

"No ya stupid ankle bita', the Easta' Bunny," the other brother corrected rolling his eyes. Callie made a little 'O' shape with her mouth before the three continued looking for eggs. As the brothers continued finding one egg after another, Callie's face grew disappointed as she failed to find one little egglet. After five minutes, the brothers' baskets were filled almost to the brim with their discoveries. Squealing in delight, they ran off to go find more, leaving their poor sister behind in the dust. Callie sat down on the ground and started sniffling, tears rolling down her chubby cheeks and her basket empty.

Jack's heart felt broken in two when she saw the poor girl. How cruel of her brothers not to leave her a single egglet. Upon adjusting her position, her bare foot nudged the basket she had carried eggs in. Looking inside, her eyes widened. She had forgotten to hide four eggs. That's when the theoretical lightbulb went off over her head. Without thinking, the snow spirit crept out of the bushes, deaf to Bunny's whispered protests, and made her way over to Callie. The blonde stopped crying and looked up, her eyes filled with curiosity.

_"Can she see me?" _Jack wondered to herself. It was very unlikely that a girl at her age would know who Jack Frost was. However, her doubts were immediately erased when Callie opened her mouth, "Who are you?"

Suppressing the urge to jump for joy, Jack knelt so she was eye level with the little girl. "Just a friend," she then reached both hands into the basket and pulled out the four eggs. Callie's eyes grew so big that Jack worried they were going to pop out of her head. The snow spirit held them out to the blonde.

"Googies?"

"Uh, yeah," Jack replied. Jeez, she still wasn't used to Aussie slang. "Here, take them."

Callie hesitated for a moment looking into Jack's eyes, then to the eggs, and back to her again. After a reassuring smile, the little girl's face broke out in a smile. She placed the eggs in her basket and thanked the snow spirit before dashing after her brothers, filled with new determination.

"Not bad, Snowflake."

Jack straightened up and looked over at the pooka. She had completely forgotten he was there for a moment. Bunny was still crouched behind the shrub, but a small smile was on his face. This made the snow spirit think back to the Easter of last year, back when they were fighting Pitch. The pooka had finally looked past Jack's mischievous behavior and pranks, and the two had slowly started to become friends. What happened with the eggs being destroyed by Pitch after that made the snow spirit come back to reality. She never wanted to see the broken look on the pooka's face ever again.

"Not bad yourself, Kangaroo."

Bunnymund chuckled lightly at the old nickname. As much as he hated it the very first time it had left Jack's lips, he didn't mind it now. Standing up, he reached into his satchel and tossed a small brightly wrapped object to her. Catching it, Jack's mouth dropped open as she unwrapped an egglet from the wrapping. This egg was a dark blue color that was similar to her eyes. White swirls representing the winter wind and silver snowflakes decorated the shell along with tiny detailed pictures of each guardian.

"I make eggs for the other guardians every year. I decided to make this one special as a thank you for helpin' me," Bunny explained staring down at his feet, feeling slightly embarrassed.

A gentle smile spread across Jack's face as the little egglet grew little legs and scurried up her arm to her shoulder. "Bunny, I love it. Thank you."

"Was nothin'," he mumbled. The pooka's entire body froze as cold lips pecked him gently on his cheek. He was grateful for the fur that covered his face, because right the skin was as red as a tomato.

"You really are the best friend someone could ever have. I'm...I'm really glad you're here."

Bunny smirked and tousled the spirit's white hair, chuckling softly when he received a whining protest. "Me too, Frostitute. Me too."

**Post notes- I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS TOOK ME SO LONG! Me and Anthony Cooper (My boyfriend's new pen name) have been extremely busy with life lately. It's now 11:22 at night, but I was determined about getting this chapter out to you guys. Thank you to all who have followed and reviewing this story, it's really appreciated. Also, to the people who are following The Longest Winter, chapter two is being written, so that chapter will hopefully be out soon. Make sure to review and I'll see you all in the next chapter :D**


	10. Chapter 10:Nearing of the Dark Abyss

**Author's notes- We now take a darker turn for this story. You guys are gonna hate me *holds shield in case of any flying objects.***

**Chapter Ten:**

**Nearing**

**of the **

**Dark Abyss**

"C'mon, just one race!"

"I keep tellin' ya, you don't wanna race a rabbit, mate."

"I could beat your little cottontail in racing any day."

"Should I remind ya of the night when we were collecting the teeth?"

"Yeah, I froze you solid and stole that tooth back when we were in Tokyo." Jack ducked fluidly as a boomerang was chucked at her head. The two guardians were now in Ireland. Jack had just finished bringing a foot of snow to the land and Bunny had offered to help her since she had helped him with Easter. Thanks to her, the pooka could feel himself getting stronger as the children started believing again. Jack had been happy for him, but she was even more ecstatic when she had gained another believer herself; Callie, the little Australian girl. The snow spirit had been giddy ever since Easter.

Now, the two spirits were sitting on a small snow-covered hill overlooking a quiet Gaelic village. Small flakes fell from the sky while small children built snowmen and had snowball fights. Jack sat balancing on the top of her staff. The egglet Bunnymund had given her, which she had named Frostbite, was nestled against her neck trying to take refuge from the cold. The pooka sat next to her, trying to keep the snow out of his fur and off his feet.

"Why don't we make a bet?" he suggested.

That caught Jack's attention. "What kind of bet?"

"We have a race. If I win, I get braggin' rights. And...you have to go without callin' me kangaroo for a year."

A mischievous smile spread across Jack's face. "And if I win, you have to admit Christmas is more important than Easter."

The pooka's silky blue-gray fur bristled in anger. The snow spirit knew how much her friend hated North constantly saying that Christmas was more important than his holiday. "Ohoho, theres _no way _I'm losing now."

"Alright then," Jack hopped off her staff and walked to the edge of the hill. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she looked over the small village. "Okay, there's a hill on the other side of the village. It has a large tree with winter Magnolias on it." When Bunnymund confirmed that he could see it, Jack turned to him. "No rabbit holes, no magic snowballs, and no exploding eggs. This is going to be a _fair _race."

"Alright, alright," Bunny held up his paws in surrender. He then got down on all fours, his muscles bulging slightly under his fur. Jack pulled her hood over her head to somewhat shield her vision from the snow.

"Ya ready, Frostitute?"

"Always ready, Kangaroo. 3. 2. 1. GO!"

Both spirits took off like rockets. Bunny picked up speed as he plowed through the deep snow drifts, leaving each one destroyed in his wake. He zipped between the playing children, going so fast he was nearly invisible. Glancing upwards, he smirked as he saw Jack flying right above him keeping up with his pace with ease. It was clear that the snow spirit had practiced her flying skills. Jack looked down, wearing the same smirk on her face "Ready to give up yet Kangaroo?"

"Not a chance in hell, Snowflake."

They were nearing the edge of the village, the Magnolia tree dead ahead. Grinning, the pooka put on one last burst of energy that started to carry him little by little ahead of Jack. _"Hah, in a few seconds that little dingo won't be uttering Kangaroo for a whole-"_

Suddenly, his paws slipped from under him and he was met with a face full of snow. His ears immediately shot up as the child-like sound of Jack's laughter met hit ears. Lifting his face up and shaking off the snow, his eyes narrowed when he saw the snow spirit twirling around the tree in the air and laughing. "I won!"

"You cheated ya little bugga!"

"Did not! You slipped!"

"Come off it, you made that ice patch!"

"I am offended by that statement! You're just a sore loser!"

"I am not, Frostbite!"

"Kangaroo!"

"Frostitute!"

"Carrot munche- OOF!"

Bunnymund launched himself forward and tackled the snow spirit. Jack lost her footing and both spirits tumbled head over heels down the hill. They finally came to a stop at the bottom, with Jack landing on her back. Bunny however had landed with a touch more ease, having landed _on_ the snow spirit, but he balanced himself well enough so he wouldn't crush her. Groaning at his now bruised back and sides, he lifted himself up by his arms, and then he froze.

Jack laid underneath him, her legs hooked over his hips. During the roll down the hill, Jack had instinctively wrapped her legs around him in fear. Her upper body was as stiff as a board with her arms straight and tight at her sides. Her spiky silver hair was splayed out in all directions and dusted with snow, but it framed her pale face like an angel's halo. Bunny's paws rested in the snow on either side of her face, which at the moment was turning a bright shade of pink. Blue eyes gazed up at him, full of shock, but also hints of curiosity traced her eyes as well.

The pooka's cheeks started heating up immensely. His brain screamed over and over to get up, but just looking down at the snow spirit, with her big sapphire eyes, her pale but beautiful face, and her silver tinged hair, Bunny felt his heart beating a mile a minute. Why was it until now that he noticed Jack's beauty?

The moment was broken when the snow spirit looked to the side and started squirming uncomfortably.

"S-sorry!" the pooka exclaimed shooting up on his feet.

"N-No, it's fine..." Jack trailed off getting up. They stood there in a painful awkward silence. The pressure filled the air and weighed down on them as though they were two miles undersea.

"We... we should be heading back," Jack mumbled finally breaking the silence. Bunny nodded and tapped his foot. As soon as Jack took off on the winds, he jumped down and raced through the tunnels to the North Pole.

* * *

Jack dangled her legs over the edge of the chimney and rested her cheek against the frosted wood of her staff. A light snowfall fell from the black sky and onto the sleeping Burgess below, even though it was the end of May and summer was practically around the corner. She was supposed to be at the Pole, having a dinner with her family, celebrating the coming of the first day of summer, but she needed to get away for a while. A million things were racing through her mind. The biggest thing being what happened between her and Bunny earlier that day.

She had been so shocked that she hadn't been able to speak at first. And how could she when Bunnymund had stared at her. However, in only a few moments, she had noticed things about the pooka she never noticed before. His eyes, the color of the deepest green jade, had looked at her with the gentlest look that she had never seen on his face before. She had latched her legs onto his hips when they had started falling, and his fur had brushed slightly against her bare foot. It was soft like velvet and made her want to press her face against it like it was a new blanket. It was also the first time when she felt how muscular he was. A Strong hide, toned front legs and a muscular build was hidden beneath the thick fur.

The sprite snapped out of her daydreaming and cursed herself when she felt her face heating up once more. _"What's the matter with me?!" _she thought. Before the pooka came to her mind in such an odd way, she had always thought of the fun things they were going to do, or what kind of pranks she could play on her friend. But now, her stomach would feel funny, like she had swallowed a handful of butterflies. Her face would turn pink and she wouldn't be able to think straight for a few moments. Was the pooka making her sick in some strange way? Jack didn't have an answer for that question, but longed so powerfully to posses one.

Deciding she had had enough time for contemplation, Jack flew over and started walking on the telephone wires, frost spreading across them like glass. Something suddenly flew by her, causing her to bounce on the wires and almost fall to the ground. After regaining her balance, she looked around curiously, trying to figure out what had rushed by her. Her eyes caught a dark rabbit-like figure race by some trash cans, knocking them down to the ground as it went past.

Jack felt her cheeks blush slightly but she brushed it off. _"If he needed to come get me why is he running away?"_

The snow spirit followed the pooka for half a block before he darted into an alley. Jack landed lightly on the pavement and strolled in with her staff resting on her shoulder.

"Ello mate."

Smiling, Jack turned to see the pooka leaning against the wall in the shadows.

"Hey, Kangaroo. Is North going all crazy because I'm not at the Pole?"

"Oh...he's upset all right."

The snow spirit's smile fell. "I didn't mean to make him that worried. I just...needed to be alone for a while."

"And why's that, Jaqueline?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. Bunny had never called her by her real name before. "No reason. We should probably head back to North's place."

"No."

The snow spirit opened her mouth to question the pooka when something weird began happening. Bunny's shadowed form started shifting. Her eyes widened in fear as acid green eyes glowed at her from the darkness.

"You're not Bunny..."

The figure chuckled before stepping into the dim light. It was the man who looked like Pitch's blonde look-alike from North's party. He smirked at her with sharp teeth and answered, "Ahh, Perception is so hard to find in women of your aesthetic grace. Why don't we go somewhere more _private?"_

Before Jack could even make a move to fly away, she was thrown against the alley wall by a force of black nightmare sand. The back of her head slammed against the brick and everything melted into darkness.

* * *

**_Three Months _**

Jack had been missing for three months straight. Everyone had been searching. Tooth and her fairies had scouted every inch of the Earth while Sandy rode in his dreamsand airplane looking, but they both came up with no results. Almost every hour North would take off in the sleigh by himself and used up most of his stash of magic snow globes in the process while looking. But, as days turned into weeks and into months, the guardians began losing hope. Tooth wasn't going out collecting teeth anymore. Instead she would give half-hearted orders to her faries while she would sit alone in the Tooth Palace. Sandy kept up with his duties, but didn't seem to have the heart in it like he used to. It seemed that all the joy that Jack brought into their lives every day had been sucked away along with her.

North took Jack missing the worst. For days he would be holed up in his office, never coming out unless it was to check on the new manufacturing of toys that had come out. The elves would bring in his meals, but for most of the time they left him alone.

Ironically, the one who seemed to be the most worried about Jack was Bunny. The second he heard that the snow spirit was missing, he immediately went down into the tunnels and started searching _everywhere_.Sometimes for days on end nobody would hear from him. He would pop up days later his search continually unfruitful, but his emerald eyes burned with increasing determination.

As month number four approached and Jack still wasn't found, the pooka decided to ask the only one who knew the places Jack would be, North. Arriving in front of North's office door, the hare knocked before pushing the door open. The toy maker was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.

Bunnymund cleared his voice to get his friend's attention before speaking. "North? Can I, um, talk to ya?"

The older guardian raised his head. His eyes were red and his face was puffy, which told the pooka he had been crying.

"Yes, yes of course, old friend," North answered, his voice shaking slightly. He gestured to the cushioned chair across from his desk and Bunny sat down. After politely waving off the elves who offered him eggnog and cookies, the pooka looked at North with genuine concern. "How are ya doing?"

"Fine, just fine," the older guardian said, trying to make his voice sound cheerful.

"Ya don't have to lie to me, North. I'm not here to judge ya."

Silence stretched for a about five minutes before North bowed his head. His large shoulders started shaking and deep sobs filled the office. Bunny got up and went over to his friend, patting his back in the most comforting way he could. He had never seen North break down like this.

After a long time of crying, North was able to calm down enough to talk again. "I'm sorry, Bunny. We've all been searching everywhere and have come up with nothing. I feel like we have failed Jack."

"No we haven't!" the pooka exclaimed. "There's gotta be one place where we haven't looked. Someplace where we wouldn't think she would be."

The sudden realization brought on a couple seconds of silence between the two guardians. They both shattered it when they opened their mouths at the same time, "Pitch's lair!"

* * *

_Three Months Ago_

_Jack groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Her whole head was sending out bursts of pain every few seconds, which wasn't helping as she tried to clear her vision. Her eyes grew large with fear when she realized both her hands and feet had been shackled with large iron chains._

**_"Where's my staff?!" _**_she thought while she looked around the room in a frantic manner, trying to ignore the pain. The staff was nowhere in sight. The snow spirit started growing more afraid. The room she was in was so dark she couldn't see an inch from her nose._

_"Oh good, you're finally awake," Jack jumped as Pitch's voice echoed around the room. Light suddenly flooded in front of her, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut momentarily. When she opened them, she bit her lip hard to keep from screaming. She was sitting on the cold stone floor of Pitch's lair. Though it had been abandoned for the many months after they had defeated the Nightmare King, someone had obviously done some spring cleaning. The black cages that had held Tooth's fairies so long ago hung from the ceiling glistening in the light. The lair looked like the sinking city of Venice, except with a darker gothic touch to it._

_"Hello, Jaqueline."_

_Jack's head snapped up to where the voice was coming from. Blonde Pitch was sitting on a throne made of black steel and what looked like nightmare sand. His nightmares and fearlings circled their master's throne loyally as well as circling Jack, who was sitting at the bottom of the stairs to the throne._

_"Who are you? How do you know my name? What have you done with my staff?!" the snow spirit yelled._

_"You don't know who I am?" the man asked as he slowly rose from his throne. As he started coming down the stairs, Jack wriggled on the ground trying to get away. She yelped as the chain around her hands was pulled harshly, making her fall back to the ground. Blonde Pitch was now looming over her, chain in his hand and a smirk across his lips._

_"It's true. You don't know who I am. But I'm positive that my **older brother **was quite fond of you."_

_Jack's eyes widened in fear and she started screaming as a gag was formed out of nightmare sand and was tied around her mouth. The man yanked her chain once again so that she was now face to face with him._

_"My name is Insidous. Insid for short. Pleased to make your acquaintance."_

* * *

** Post notes-*ducks behind shield to avoid flying objects***


	11. Chapter 11:Because I Love You

**Author's notes-Okay, I'm reeaaallly sorry for leaving such a bad cliff hanger at the end of last chapter. But I'm back with chapter Eleven! So, how was everyone's Easter? I got Rise of the Guardians from Anthony Cooper (Best boyfriend evvver). What did you get? Post in your review for this chapter :D.**

**Okay, so there's a question that I want to answer, but I can't exactly PM this person because they left their review as "Guest" so I'm just going to answer it here:**

**Q: **Guest: Why did you decide on 4 months? That got to me.

**A: Well, if you're asking why they didn't find Jack sooner, like in a couple of days, is because of this. If you remember from the end of the movie, Pitch got sucked down into his lair, which closed off as soon as he went down. The guardians wouldn't think to check there because it's been about seventeen months since they defeated Pitch, and they probably forgot that the lair was even there in the first place. They only thought to check on the Earth's surface instead of beneath it, which then turns around when North and Bunny have the revelation in the last chapter. They wouldn't think Jack would be there because they probably forgot it had existed, and it was a place where she would never be.**

**I hope that cleared things up for you, Guest. I just want to say thank you to all of the people who have been following and reviewing this story. Your support for this story helps so much and it makes me ecstatic every time I get a knew review or favorite.**

**Now that that's done, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven:**

**Because I Love You**

Bunny's long ears were the first things to stick up from the rabbit hole. They twitched back and forth for a few minutes, listening before he hopped out. The tunnel had brought him to Jack's pond. Since the snow spirit's disappearance, the small area had been released from the cool temperatures that Jack always kept it at. Fresh green grass and flowers bent in the gentle breeze and cool water lapped at the pooka's feet. Not a speck of snow or ice covered the pond's surface. It made Bunny's heart ache.

Shaking his head to clear it, he turned to Baby Tooth, whose services he had borrowed from Tooth a few hours ago. The tiny fairy had been to Pitch's lair the first time with Jack, so she would probably remember where it was. And unlike the other tooth sprites that had been kept there, Baby Tooth had a close connection to Jack, so it was only fair she would be the one he would ask.

"Alright, sheila. The others are dependin' on us to find Snowflake. Can ya help me with that?"

Baby Tooth nodded and gave the pooka a small salute. She then flew through the trees with Bunny close behind her. They had been going for about five minutes when the little fairy stopped.

"What is it?"

Baby Tooth started squeaking away, a look of confusion on her face.

"You can't remember where to go from here?" Bunnymund had managed to pick up a little on this "fairy language", but he wasn't perfect yet.

The fairy nodded looking defeated.

"Perk up, sheila! You brought me this far."

_"Aster?"_

Bunny froze as his ears shot up. He thought to himself "_Was that... Jack's voice? It couldn't be. Jack... hadn't allowed herself to call him by his real name_."

_"Aster!"_

It came again, a lot clearer this time. Without another thought, Bunny raced ahead with speed only a pooka could run at. The voice called a few more times from different places, which caused the rabbit to veer in different directions. The second he stopped to take a breather, Baby Tooth flew in his face and started spazzing out with her squeaks and crazy hand motions.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. What's the matter?" he growled in annoyance as the tiny fairy started yanking on his ear in an attempt to pull him forward. Shooing her away, the pooka followed her for a minute until she stopped at the edge of a clearing. His jade green eyes widened at what he saw.

A wooden bed frame was just sitting there in the middle of the woods. The wood looked like it had been rotted and chipped away as time wore at it. Baby Tooth pulled at his fur again, trying to make him go toward the bed.

"This is the place, isn't it?"

_"Aster!"_

Bunny walked cautiously toward the bed frame. Taking out his boomerang, he broke off two of the already crumbling middle supports. The pooka stared down into the dark hole underneath. In all the years he had run through his tunnels, this one looked like it would swallow you up as soon as you went in.

_"Aster?!"_

Against his better judgment, Bunny jumped down into the dark hole. He landed on all fours as his feet met cold stone. After regaining his bearings, he slowly stood up and sniffed the air. He recoiled in disgust as a rancid scent hit his nose and made his eyes water. He couldn't see anything, but he could tell that Pitch sure had kept his lair in awful shape.

Baby Tooth landed on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts. The pooka started making his way through the narrow tunnel. He kept both paws to the walls so he would know that he was still moving forward. He walked like this for a few minutes before a sudden white light flooded his vision. Bunny held his paw out in front of him until his eyes adjusted to the light. What he saw then made his blood run cold.

Jack had told them months ago what Pitch's cave had looked like. The hanging cages and the Gothic Venice architecture was gone. In its place was nothing but a huge crater that took up the middle of the cave and spread almost to the walls. The cave's stone was a rotten green color that looked like it would fall apart at the slightest touch. The whole lair was swamped in darkness with only the outline of the giant crater being visible.

Something caught Bunny's eye. All the way across the cave, a faint golden glow shone from the wall.

_"Aster!"_

Jack's voice came calling again. This time, however, it sounded different. She sounded like she was in so much pain. She sounded _scared._

Bunny turned his gaze to the small fairy on his shoulder. "Baby Tooth, I need ya to go back to the Tooth Palace. Tell Toothiana that I've found Snowflake. Tell the others to wait at North Pole," with a hesitant nod, Baby Tooth flew back though the tunnel quickly. The pooka waited until he could no longer hear the beating of her tiny wings before turning back to the situation in front of him.

He wondered if he could just summon a tunnel and travel over to the light. The idea was quickly cast aside. He didn't even know if the light was a room or if was just a crack in the wall letting it in. Bunny then noticed a narrow walkway going along the wall. Squinting his eyes, he saw that it wound all the way around the wall and to the light. Testing it out, Bunny shifted his weight to his toes and held onto the crags jutting out from the wall. He then cautiously yet quickly started making his way around the large crater.

"_Son of a bitch!" _he cursed as a pad on his paw was cut by a sharp rock. It wasn't extremely deep, but it hurt. Trying to ignore the stinging, the pooka continued moving. It didn't take much longer for him to make it around the pit.

The light that he had seen was coming from behind a slightly open door. Jumping from his narrow walkway and onto the strong slab of stone supporting the door, Bunny took out one of his boomerangs and pressed his long ear to the first he heard nothing. Then, little by little his ear picked up on small whimpers that seemed to grow louder and louder. Pushing the door open, the pooka's eyes widened at the gruesome sight.

In the middle of the room stood a large stone that almost looked like a bed but without the blankets, mattress, and pillow. Jack was kneeling on the stone with her hands shackled above her and tied to the ceiling by an iron chain. Similar shackles bound her ankles and were tied to a iron stake on the floor. Her hair had grown longer, but it was severely matted in some spots and the snow-silver color had dulled. She had on a strapless blue dress, but it was torn in places and so dirty that it looked like it had been used as a rag. Emerald eyes then wandered to the snow spirit's now visibly skinnier arms. Large black and blue bruises traveled up almost every inch of pale skin. The spirit's head was hanging downward, her dirtied bangs covering her eyes.

Bunny always felt an aura of playfulness and optimism when around her. But that was gone now, he looked at her deeply, the look in her eyes he had seen before...on a small blue bunny seeing its reflection in a sea of tears.

"...Jack?"

Her head shot up immediately at the sound of Bunny's voice. Tears were streaming down from her enlarged blue eyes and over her now more prominent cheekbones. But what captured Bunny's attention most of all was the largest bruise he had ever seen that covered almost all of the half side of her face.

"Bunny..." her voice was so horse and quiet that the pooka almost didn't hear her. She suddenly burst into hysterical tears.

Bunny rushed over to her and was able to break the chain holding her hands. Before a word could leave his mouth, Jack threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest sobbing. Bunny wound one of his arms around her waist and cradled her head gently with his other paw. He wouldn't let her feel the suffering he had so many years ago, when he looked into the river. He had been running for hours, never stopping or looking back, until he got to a small stream and stopped. He saw himself in the crystal waters, but what he saw made him cry. He saw the truth in that reflection: that he was alone, that everyone he had loved was dead. It sickened him to his core...but he would not let Jack feel that anguish, he'd be there for her.

"Jack...what did they do to ya?" he asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

A loud knock on the wooden door made them both jump. Jack's eyes widened in fear and clutched on tighter to the pooka's fur.

"How is this door closed?! Lord Insid wishes to speak with you!" a gruff voice called from the other side of the door.

"Bunny, you have to hide, _now," _Jack whispered as panic slowly slipped into her eyes.

"No, mate, we're gettin' out of here!" he hissed back. The knocking became louder.

"We can't escape by tunnels. Insid will sick his nightmares on us. Please, just hide," she pleaded. Bunny looked into her eyes studying the panic and fear that had taken refuge in them. With a hesitant nod, he slipped into the shadows.

* * *

**Jack's POV**

The door finally burst open and two armored guards muscled their way into the small room. One of them grabbed the chain that was attached to Jack's hand shackles and pulled her forward while the other guard picked up the end. The snow spirit spotted Bunny following them by staying in the shadows.

_"Please Bunny, don't follow," _she pleaded silently. This was the worst part of her being captured. She hadn't eaten in three weeks and it had obviously taken toll on her body. The only thing keeping her from dying of starvation was her divine powers as a spirit, but even they seemed to be slipping away. She yelped as the guard in front of her yanked on her chain causing her to go sprawling out on the floor. Insid sat on his throne, the only thing of Pitch's that his younger brother hadn't destroyed.

"On your feet, filthy wench!" the Nightmare guard barked, grabbing a fistful of the winter spirit's hair and hauling her to her feet. Tears sprung from her eyes as another whimper escaped from her lips. Would the pain ever stop?

Insid held up his hand and the guards stepped back. The blonde walked down until he was a step above Jack. She was staring down at the ground, her bangs once again covering her eyes.

"Now, now Jackie, there's no need to be afraid. Let's see that pretty face of yours," he cooed, slipping his bony hand under her chin. The snow spirit recoiled from the appendage and whimpered like a helpless animal.

Quirking an eyebrow but saying nothing else, Insid began slowly circling Jack while wearing a "cat-who-ate-the-canary" smirk. "I hope that you've cleared that little head of yours and reconsidered my proposition."

Silence.

Stopping in front of her, the blonde bent down until he was level with Jack's bent head. "You do remember what that offer was...don't you?"

After a few seconds, the snow spirit slowly nodded her head.

"Good girl. Now..." out of thin air a small box of nightmare sand formed in Insid's hand. He held it under Jack's nose and opened it. Inside was a ring mounted with an extremely large emerald, "will you, Jaqueline Frost, be my Snow Queen? Will you marry me?"

Silence filled the cave for so long you could hear a pin drop. Jack finally raised her head. Fear was still in her eyes, but defiance suddenly flared in them. _"No."_

**_BAM!_**

Jack hit the floor with a sickening thud. Insid's acid green eyes blazed with fury as blood dripped from his knuckles where they had connected with the snow spirit's jaw. Suddenly, he seemed to calm down. Bending over Jack's trembling body he said loud enough for everyone to hear, "Just remember, I only hit you because I love you."

* * *

**Post notes-**

**... *holds up shield* Throw all the things you want at me, I deserve it.**


	12. Chapter 12:What Once Was Mine

**Author's notes- ****So... I know that a lot of you probably want to kill me for last chapter. But don't worry! Revenge is going to be sweet lol.**

**WARNING: Mention of rape in this chapter. But it didn't actually happen.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve:**

**What Once Was Mine**

Insid hadn't known what had hit him. One minute he was punching Jack as punishment for, once again, refusing his marriage proposal, and the next thing he knew he was being kicked in the face by a huge rabbit foot. He tumbled onto the floor clutching his now broken nose as a yelp of pain escaped him. He whimpered as he was yanked up by the hair and met the gaze of a very pissed off Easter Bunny.

"Not so fun bein' on the receivin' end of beatin's, huh mate?" he hissed, his voice dangerously calm. He delivered a knee to Insid's stomach, which caused the blonde to spit up black blood, then knocked him back down to the floor where he sent a powerful punch to Insid's jaw.

"Get him... **_GET THE RABBIT!"_ **the blonde shrieked despite the bodily damage he was receiving. Nightmare creatures and armored guards surrounded the pooka in a matter of minutes. Bunny smiled to himself and took out both of his boomerangs.

"Outnumbered, huh? Pfft, such a coward move..." with the strength and swiftness that only a pooka could be born with, Bunnymund leapt around the cave, easily defeating every single fearling until they were nothing but piles of black sand. He rose to his feet as his eyes darted over to Insid. The blonde who had been so full of himself and self-righteous earlier was now on the floor backing away from the giant rabbit and toward his throne. Bunny walked menacingly toward him.

"Please... I'm sorry. Don't kill me, I'll do anything," Insid begged. Bunny studied the man in front of him. The blood coming from his nose and mouth had dripped down his front and was now staining his robes. The emotion in his eyes resembled what had been in Jack's eyes a few minutes ago; a terrified animal who was cornered and was most likely staring death in the face.

"I don't kill people," Bunny started. He grabbed the front of Insid's robes and pulled him so close that their noses were an inch apart. "But, if you ever come near any of the Guardians, or if you even think about hurtin' Jack again, _so help me God_ I will make an exception especially for you." With that he slammed his forehead into Insid's nose, knocking the blonde out cold.

* * *

"Ello? Anyone here?" Bunny called as he stepped into North's globe room. Jack was in his arms fully conscious but looking around the room with a nervous look on her face.

_**"Jack!" **_the room suddenly seemed to explode with noise and commotion. North, Tooth, and Sandy came out of nowhere and crowded around the two youngest guardians.

"Jack, are you alright?!"

"Oh sweetie, how badly did they hurt you!"

"_Rimski korsakouf! _We need to bring her to ze infirmary fast!"

Even Sandy was conjuring up frantic questions with dreamsand.

Jack's eyes grew large and she shrank against Bunny's chest whimpering. The pooka stroked her hair and whispered gentle words until her shaking ceased. Turning back to the confused guardians, Bunny quickly whispered what had happened in North's ear. With a nod of understanding, the toymaker turned to Tooth.

"Toothy, would you please be a dear and take Jack to ze baths?"

The fairy seemed to snap out of her haze of confusion. "Y-Yes, of course!"

As Bunny started handing Jack over to Tooth, the snow spirit held tightly to the pooka and shook her head, not looking the older guardian in the eye.

"Snowflake, it's ok," He told her gently. When she finally raised her head, Bunny smiled warmly. "Tooth is just goin' to get ya cleaned up. I'll still be here when you're done, alright?" With a hesitant nod from Jack, Toothiana took her into her arms and flew down the baths.

* * *

The fairy queen turned the knob stopping the flow of water into the tub. She turned her head toward Jack, who was still standing in the filthy dress that Insid had kept her in.

"Do you want to wash yourself, or do you need me to help?" Tooth asked. After receiving a quiet "Please stay", The fairy turned around so she could give the snow spirit a little privacy. Once she heard Jack get into the tub, she turned back around. Jack sat in the bubble bath with the pink bubbles up to her neck. Tooth went straight to work with washing the snow spirit's hair while being careful of all the knots. Jack sat still for the mostly, only moving to hand Tooth something.

As Tooth scrubbed, she began to feel slightly unnerved. The horrible things that must have happened to her to reduce her to such a scared and childish manner. Tooth didn't want to ask Jack what happened, mostly so she wouldn't have to relive her ordeal, but even more so because Tooth couldn't deal with it if she found out.

After about an hour of washing, brushing, and hair drying, Jack was finally clean. Tooth's eyes bulged when the snow spirit's signature blue hoodie practically fell off of her right when she put it on. Violet eyes suddenly realized how much skinnier Jack had gotten since she last saw her three months ago.

"You poor thing! You must be starving! Let's go get you some food and then we'll go find the others, ok?"

* * *

Meanwhile, the three male guardians of the group were in one of North's many living rooms. North sat in his large crimson armchair near the fire while Bunny and Sandy sat on the long couch across from him. There was a plate of cookies and other sweets on the coffee table between them. None was touched, no man had the strength of stomach to eat.

The pooka's ears shot up as the door opened. Tooth fluttered in with Jack in tow. The visibly skinnier snow spirit was busy gobbling down a plate of chicken, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. When she saw Bunny she immediately found a spot on the couch next to him and leaned into his side. The pooka smiled and gently patted her head surprised at the softness running under his pads.

North cleared his throat to get the others attention. "Ve're all relived that you're back, Jack. If iz not too much to ask, can you tell us who exactly kidnapped you?"

The snow spirit was quiet for a few minutes trying to find her voice. "Well... it turns out that... Pitch has a younger brother."

The room fell silent almost on cue.

"How... how is that possible?" Tooth squeaked from her seat.

"Zer have been no records of Pitch ever having a brother. Are you sure zat's who he was?" North asked gently.

Jack's expression suddenly turned annoyed, but it quickly turned back to normal after taking a breath. "Yes. It's not every day that you meet a blonde twin of the Nightmare King."

Luckily letting the winter spirit's sarcastic tone slide, North stood up and started pacing in front of the fireplace with a pondering expression on his face. Not liking the awkward silence that followed, Jack reached forward to take a cookie from the plate on the coffee table. Her head suddenly felt fuzzy and her vision started swimming turning to black seconds later. Opening her eyes she was surprised to find herself once again in Bunny's arms. A small blush came to her cheeks when she noticed everyone was staring at her. "W-what happened?"

"You...passed out," North explained quietly an expression of worry on his face. "Maybe you should go get some rest."

"Yeah...that seems like a good idea."

* * *

_Tears streamed down her face as she once again attempted to break free of the chains binding her to the wall. The room she was in was so dark she couldn't even look down and see her feet. He had locked her in here three hours ago and hadn't come back. Why did he insist on keeping her here? Was it for revenge for Pitch? Or was it something more?_

_She snapped out of her thoughts as the door to the room opened nearly blinding her with the light. She had only closed her eyes for a second before a cold bony hand grabbed her chin and forced her head up. She opened her eyes knowing that she couldn't hide from his unrelenting gaze._

_Insid smirked down at her showing off every one of his pointed teeth. "You've been a very bad girl again, Jacqueline."_

_"What did I do this time?" she replied sarcastically. A stinging slap was delivered to her cheek and she whimpered pathetically._

_"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME YOU DISRESPECTFUL BITCH!" his demeanor quickly turned calm again and he smiled pleasantly. "Now, what shall your punishment be my little Snowflake?" when he didn't get an answer his smile grew bigger. "You want me to decide? Oh Jack, you're so kind. But what shall I do?" as he finished his sentence he ran his fingers down the winter spirit's side._

_Jack immediately started to panic. **"What is he doing? He promised he wouldn't do this! Someone, help me!"** _

_Insid forced Jack's head up again and pressed his lips to hers hungrily. The winter spirit thrashed against him trying to break away, but the blonde kicked her in the stomach forcing her to be still. She could do nothing but hang there while he had his way with her, thrusting deep inside of her and breaking the little amount of hope she had left._

**_"SOMEBODY HELP ME!"_**

* * *

Jack's eyes flew open and she gasped for air tears falling down her face. Bunny was above her with his paws on her shoulders and a look of worry on his face. "Jack! Are you ok?!"

All Jack could do was stare at the pooka with wide eyes. "B-Bunny..." her voice then dissolved into little whimpers.

The pooka gathered the winter spirit in his arms holding her close as she broke down gripping the fur on his chest. The bedroom door opened slightly and a sleepy looking Tooth poked her head in with a worried expression.

"Go back to sleep Tooth," he whispered loud enough for her to hear. "I've got this." the fairy queen nodded and closed the door.

Bunny rubbed Jack's back and whispered gentle words until her sobs ceased to quiet hiccups. "Did you have a nightmare?"

The winter spirit nodded.

"You wanna talk about it?"

She started to shake her head, but she must have considered it for a moment because she was silent before she managed to choke out "I-Insid."

Bunny's arms tightened protectively at the mention of the blonde's name, but he willed himself to relax. Jack was already freaked out, he didn't need to make her more upset. "He won't hurt ya ever again, mate. I'll make sure of that."

They sat there in silence for a few more minutes before Jack's eyes started to droop.

"Do ya want me to stay?"

The winter spirit was grateful for the darkness because her face immediately turned bright red, though she didn't know why. "Y-yeah, sure."

Smiling softly, the pooka untangled his arms from Jack and pulled the blankets back so she could lay down again. He crawled in next to her and stiffened slightly as she curled up against his chest.

"Bunny?"

"Mm?"

"Can... Can you... what I mean is... can you... sing?"

The pooka raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Sing?"

Jack blushed lightly and looked down twiddling her thumbs. "Well... apparently when I was a human... my mother always sang to me whenever I had a nightmare... it always calmed me down and helped me get back to sleep..." she waited for the pooka to say no. It was stupid to ask something like that.

"Sure, Snowflake."

Jack looked at her friend for a moment in shock. But something in his eyes told her that he was totally ok with this. She settled down against his chest again, her eyes drooping but trying to stay awake.

Bunny had to think for a moment of what song to sing. It had been a very long time since someone had sung his a lullaby, and he wasn't sure if he could remember any good ones. Then, the light bulb went off. Not too long ago, Sophie Bennet had gotten Jack obsessed with a new Disney movie called _Tangled, _which was a new twist on the tale of Rapunzel. The winter spirit loved all the songs and practically knew all of them by heart. With this in mind, the pooka held her close and started singing:

_Flower, gleam and glow._

_Let your power shine._

_Make the clock reverse._

_Bring back what once was mine..._

_Heal what has been hurt._

_Change the fate's design._

_Save what has been lost._

_Bring back what once was mine._

_What once was mine..._

Bunny ended the lullaby and looked down at the dead asleep Jack Frost in his arms. She was snoring softly with her long bangs falling over her eyes making her look extremely cute.

_"Wait, why in the blood hell am I thinking that?" _the pooka questioned himself. Dismissing the thought for now, Bunny pulled the covers over them making sure Jack was comfortable.

"'Night, Jack. Sleep well." he whispered to her before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**Post notes- HOLY SHIT I'M SO SORRY! I'VE BEEN TOUTURING YOU GUYS FOR SO LONG WAITING FOR THIS CHAPTER! But, I hope you liked it! It's 10:39 at night right now and I'm getting pretty tired to I'm gonna go. Don't forget to review!**

**Next Chapter: Jack's nightmares and fear of Insid get worse and Bunny in confused of his now growing feelings for his best friend. **


End file.
